weekend free-for-all — September 30 – October 1, 2017

byAlison GreenonSeptember 30, 2017

This comment section is open for any non-work-related discussion you’d like to have with other readers, by popular demand. (This one is truly no work and no school.)

Book recommendation of the week: Sourdough, by Robin Sloan. This is by the author of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, which is also excellent. This one has a very unusual sourdough starter, robots, and culinary intrigue.

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I’m married to a Catalan, so this weekend is going to be all about watching the news and wishing we could be there (and hoping the police don’t hurt anybody). At the school my nephews go to, they have come up with a program of school activities so the building is never empty between Friday and Sunday, in the hope that they can vote, because however people want to vote, 70% want to be allowed to.

It’s crazy in Spain at the moment. I’m in the North and there are Spanish flags flying everywhere to support unity right now. Everyone I speak to here is hoping that the vote 1. doesn’t happen and 2. is a resounding no. Tensions are a little high here at the moment.

If the vote is for an area of a country to become its own country I think many countries would ban that vote or at least attempt to. I can’t think of any who wouldn’t but I don’t know every country on Earth.

What I’m wondering is what happens if Catalonia votes for independence and the Spanish government doesn’t accept it? Go to war with each other?

If you look on Wikipedia at the list of countries that have become independent through a referendum (and the countries that allowed them to vote), it’s fairly long. Self-determination is pretty much the cornerstone of international law.

I should have been more clear although this post probably won’t be any clearer. I meant areas that are part of the country itself not areas under it’s authority but not part of the country itself. For example, Bermuda is a UK territory/colony but it’s not considered to be part of the UK.

The UK has had several peaceful referendums related to independence: Northern Ireland voted for devolution (local regional parliaments), as did Wales and Scotland, and Scotland had an independence referendum. Leaving aside the longstanding Troubles in NI, they were all peaceful votes; and in fact the NI devolution was part of the peace process that got various terrorist groups to lay down their arms and set up a ceasefire.

“what happens if Catalonia votes for independence and the Spanish government doesn’t accept it? Go to war with each other?” Probably not; it’s more likely to go to court as a human rights argument of some kind. But there are several armed terrorist groups advocating for regional independence from Spain, so terrorist attacks might increase if the Spanish government tries to crack down.

I mean, Spain was a police-state dictatorship in living memory with that whole ugly history of journalists and political opponents just disappearing and turning up dead, and ordinary people being jailed for the most stupid trumped-up things, attacked and executed. So however people want the vote to go, they do not react well to police and the army out on the streets trying to stop ordinary citizens from peacefully exercising basic human rights.

Look at the UK and Scottish governments in 2014, if you want an example of how it SHOULD work. The independence referendum was democratically negotiated, fair throughout the voting process – although BBC ‘impartial’ media coverage was iffy, IMHO – and almost entirely free of violence. (The small amount of violence that *did* happen was after the result, and initiated by right-wing ultra-British nationalist groups wanting to rub people’s faces in it.)

(And in the interests of transparency, I was on the losing side, so I wouldn’t exactly be inclined to be complimentary of the UK Government where it isn’t merited.)

1. The region of Catalonia (of which Barcelona is a part) feels that the central government in Madrid has been taking unfair advantage of its economic success in recent years – it weathered the 2008 crash and the subsequent problems better than the rest of Spain. Catalonia argues that it should be in control of the revenue that it generates instead of paying the highest amount of regional tax in Spain to the government.

2. Catalonia is a distinct region. It has its own language (Catalan) and culture that is different to Spain. They are arguing that their culture and language is disparate enough from Spanish language and culture that they can constitute a unique country on their own.

– I need to point out here that Catalonia isn’t unique in this. Many regions in Spain have a unique language and culture – Valencia (speaks Valenciano), Asturias (speaks Asturiano), Galicia (speaks Gallego), and, of course, the Basque Country (speaks Basque). Each of these regions were brought together under the Catholic Monarchs, Isabel and Fernando, in the 1400s. In the 20th century, Franco further cemented the unification by banning teaching and public services in regional languages, which many have seen as an attack on regional culture.

3. Much of the recent surge towards an independence movement has been stoked by the Scottish referendum, Brexit, immigration concerns in Europe, and the economic recession that has hit, and is still hitting, Spain very hard.

The current situation is a little more difficult. Carles Puigdemont (the Catalan leader), has technically broken the law under the Spanish Constitution by calling for a referendum. A referendum has to be enacted by the central government. The reason why Mariano Rajoy has spoken about arresting Puigdemont and putting police on the street to prevent voting is because the government does not recognise this vote as legal and/or binding. They view it as an act of civil disobedience, which is where we are at the moment with the worry about what is going to happen tomorrow.

Okay, one more clarifying question. When they say they pay the highest amount in regional taxes is that the highest amount in Euros or the highest percentage? Like are they taxed at a higher rate or they are more economically successful so they pay the same rate but it amounts to more tax revenue.

Yea all I could really find is “SPAIN IS BANNING A VOTE!!!” which seemed…weird. I don’t know if I think it is great that they can’t vote, but I’m not there and it really isn’t my place to say.

We definitely have places here that pay more in taxes than they get back. I tend to be pretty liberal so I think that is just how civilized society should behave. But, whatever happens, I hope it is peaceful and that everyone who wants to be heard is heard.

This may be me showing my ignorance in these sort of things but surely the best way to deal with it would have been for the goverment to clearly say ‘it’s not a legal referendum, nothing will happen with the result, regardless of what it is, but if you really want to waste time and resources doing it, go for it.’? Rather than sending in lots of police and other shows of force.

Puigdemont believes that if he gets a resounding victory then Rajoy will have to concede to the referendum, illegal or not.

Admittedly (in my opinion) Rajoy did make things worse by calling in the Guardia Civil et al. to “monitor” the situation. It smacks of Franco-era operation and despite nearly fifty years passing since Franco’s death and Spain’s move to democracy, Spain is very sensitive to anything that smacks of his style of leadership. This whole situation is bringing up the normally silent, ugly underbelly of Spain that the Spanish prefer to keep hidden.

Foreign Octopus sets out the Spanish point of view, but definitely at the reasonable end of the spectrum. I am obviously biased in the other direction. I’m sure others can find overviews on-line that attempt to offer both sides.
I would just like to add a couple of points:
– Catalans don’t just claim to have their own language; It’s closer to Italian and Portuguese than Spanish. However, language isn’t a grounds for statehood; the world has many more languages than states. It’s the discrimination against the language by the government and attempts to stop its use in schools that is behind the wish to protect the language through independence.
– There is a lot of long term hostility towards Catalans from the rest of Spain. People boycott products from that region. After the terrorist attacks, Spanish people wrote on social media things like ‘ Luckily no humans died, only Catalans’. Of course, tweets by a minority of people don’t represent all Spanish people, but they have a disproportionate impact when publicized. As police drove towards Catalonia from other parts of Spain this week, Spanish people cheered them on, saying ‘A por ellos’ (go and get them) — in stark contrast to the peacefulness of the demonstrations in Catalonia.
The impression is that Spanish people do not want them as part of their country, so why should they stay? A positive approach from the rest of Spain (like some of the campaigning in the Scottish referendum) could have made a difference.
– Catalonia campaigned to house more refugees than they were allocated, but Spain didn’t allow it. There were demonstrations in favour of refugees. Fear of refugees isn’t the factor here that it is in other parts of Europe.
– This isn’t comparable with Brexit. All that Brexit has done is reduce the fear of the ‘yes’ voters of being, at least temporarily, outside the EU, because the EU is changing.

I wonder, did the animosity towards Catalan begin before or after the push for independence?

I’m trying to think of it in comparison to situations I am more familiar with. We occasionally get places here that make a fuss about leaving the union. It will never happen and everyone knows this it is just drama-making to distract the proles. But what I have noticed is that the majority of the rest of the country pretty quickly turns their back on the part that is claiming they want to leave and it tends to die down once the succession claims quiet down.

If that isn’t a similar situation, do you know what brought about the animosity towards Catalonia?

I’m not an expert (I wish I had been following this story more closely, in fact!) but I did live in Madrid for two years. Madrid and Barcelona have been rivals for many many years. They’re really the two largest cities in Spain, and compete a lot for tourism, industry, etc. At its most benign, there’s sort of a Boston-New York style antagonism.
But there are also deeper reasons for the divide. Catalonia was one of the last regions to fall to Franco, and it’s generally been more left-wing than central Spain. This is probably a silly example, but Catalonia has outlawed bull-fighting, while it’s still super popular in Andalucia and Madrid.
So to continue my American example, if you took that Boston-New York rivalry but made one of them be in a red state (Madrid/the Spanish gov’t is certainly not anything close to right-wing according to US politics, but certainly further right than Catalonia in general), added in the memory of a massive war which placed them on opposite sides for most of it, and then made one economically stable while the other suffered economic crisis…you’d be roughly close to the Madrid-Barcelona relationship.

Like Foreign Octopus pointed out, many of Spain’s regions have their own language and culture, so I think part of what the federal gov’t is worried about is where this will stop. They managed to hold onto Basque territory despite violent resistance (terrorism) but if Catalonia goes, it seems like the Basques might also, and then would Galicia or Valencia go too?

The problem is also that for the last 30 years, all central governments have systematically yielded to the Nationalist parties in order to get parliamentary support. In the case of Catalonia, this has led to a systematic disregard for the law when it comes to education, with the result that generations of schoolchildren have been taught a version of history in which the Spanish Civil War was a war between Francoist Spain and independent Catalonia, Catalonia supports the lazy Estremadurans and Andalusians, and Spain “steals” from Catalonia (Espanya ens roba). In reality, Catalonia has one of the highest degrees of political, cultural, and linguistic independence within a country, if not the highest, in the Western world. The rest of Spain is, understandably, fairly fed up. Having legitimate claims is one thing, unfairly demonising other people (particularly in a country that ranked pretty high in the Economist democracy index (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Index#Democracy_Index_by_country_.282016.29)) is something else entirely.

What is being claimed now is that Spain has an oppressive, almost dictatorial government which is quelling Catalonians’ right to vote. The Catalan government ignored the regulations of its own Parliament (the Catalan parliament), not allowing members of the opposition parties to propose amendments to the referendum law and cutting the meeting short, which is illegal. The reformed Estatut which led to this law was voted with a participation of less than 50% (with 75% voting yes. Which is 37.5% of the total population).

The point is not whether a referendum should be held or not. The point is that the conditions in which it is being held are profoundly antidemocratic and non-transparent.

I don’t know that I have enough of the facts to have an opinion on whether or not there should have been a vote. I do know, however, that the video on the news is horrifying. Even if what they were doing was illegal, was it necessary to act with such force when their crime was voting on something that has no legal basis?

Thanks, I kinda did. There were a lot of things I would have liked but in too-small sizes (I’m tall and a UK 14 to 16 and felt about a foot above everyone else) but I did score a few gems including a pair of grey Wrangler jeans.

I find it’s best to just enjoy the experience of rummaging and consider it a bonus if I find things I actually want. And to avoid looking at the shoes or I’ll end up doing a Jen from the IT Crowd.

IKR, DH is supposed to get a delivery this week that I have to sign for. My usual UPS guy barely touches the buzzer. If you hold it down it buzzes a while, if you barely touch it you might not hear it. How long do I have to sit in the front room with the door wide open to make sure I don’t miss him leaving a note that he missed me?

Can’t hear the knocking, can only hear the buzzer if they actually push it and not just tap it like a normal doorbell. I want to get a real doorbell that plays a tune that goes on for a few seconds so I’ll have a chance at hearing it.

They always run up, drop the package and are driving around the corner when I get to the door, if I hear anything. To sign for this, I’ll either have to see them drive up or chase them down the street because he’ll have a note ready and run up and stick it on the door and run back to the truck.

I’ll probably open the door and sit on the love seat with a view of the street and read.

My UPS won’t ring the buzzer at all. (It’s actually quite loud.) He will knock once. Fortunately I have never had to sign for anything, but both times when I have been home and heard the knock, the UPS guy is long gone by the time my brain has registered…”oh that pounding sound is not my neighbor doing home improvements…that was someone knocking at the door”….I shudder to think what will happen if I do need to sign for something. (And actually at least 2x the delivery person left things that ought to have been signed for – but I got them and in a way I was glad, because I was gone those times so I didnt have to go through the hassle of getting again, but on the other hand, they were valuable, so I was also sort of annoyed they left the packages anyway.)

I used to live in an apartment complex where the UPS guy would just come around and leave a note on the door that we missed delivery. EVERY time I found one of those, I’d been home all day. If you’re going to walk around the whole complex, why not deliver the packages while you’re there?!?

Finally they started delivering to the office (the office had a policy against it for a long time). But it was super frustrating to be sitting at home, next to the damn door, and never get a package.

Recovering from gallbladder surgery. (Blargh :/) so it’ll be a calm day (again!)
I’m learning how to knit socks and will probably finish my first sock today.

There’s also a “pop up reuse”-thing just next to my house. The City sets up booths for people to drop off stuff they don’t want anymore but that can still be used and you can take stuff home if you find anything you like.

Oh fun! I just had 2 weeks ago with my family and I’m inviting some friends over next week for another one. (I have enough imported German beef left over, LOL.) I think I will try to make my own pretzels too.

Playing video games with my husband. We might start Divinity Original Sin II today. If you like RPGs, Divinity Original Sin is fantastic (though a bit difficult in the early game) and the sequel seems even better.

Oh this sounds fun. I’ve never done it but really should. Was already contemplating a closet clean out tomorrow as I can’t shove another hanger in. I have a pretty large closet to myself and it’s still stuffed. I am thinking it is time to get some shelving. I rent so can’t be permanent but maybe those white cheap cubby shelves from ikea you can build up or out. Display my nice bags and shoes and have some room for folded sweaters and such.

Probably going to Savers* just to look around and finally drop off donations College Daughter has had packed for weeks. Tonight, College Son is ordering in a couple pizza since he’s gotten enough points for a free one. Also CS and I will either be playing an RPG via Skype with friends or just having a gabfest if DM; we aren’t sure because the current DM may have a family thing.

I’ve got a cat on my lap. I’m eating some apple crisp and reading the open thread. I’m using the cat as an excuse to put off doing the dishes. When I do get up I’m going to bake some pumpkin blondies for a get together later this evening where we’ll be watching college football.

Resting and recovering from sinus surgery. (Outpatient and planned, so…really it’s going as intended, I am just resting lots and whinier than my five-year-old, which is embarrassing. On the other hand, he’s lifting heavy things I’m not supposed to – no more than ten pounds! – so he’s proud of himself at the moment anyway. That’s good. And helpful, since the cat food shipment got brought inside without my husband having to deal with it.)

I had sinus surgery back in 2008. Glad I did it, and had a pretty easy recovery. Only down-side was the evil scabby-clotty thing that lived in the back of my nose for a couple of weeks, until I could start doing the saline rinsed to get rid of it. I distinctly remember the first deep breath I took once that mass was dislodged and removed — I got light-headed and dizzy when all the oxygen hit my brain st once. :)

I measured, plotted and planned and we went furniture shopping for our new place. IKEA at Lakeside was hellish and the initial attempt at car tetris left me walking home! We got that sorted but glad we didn’t see a police car!

Tomorrow will be spent constructing 5 bookcases, a drawer unit and a bedside table. Wish us luck!

Bought a new vehicle today. Okay, it’s not “new” it’s a 2010 Buick Enclave, but I’ve wanted one for years. If this posts twice, please delete one. I wrote my post and it disappeared, so I posted again.

At home, pre-cleaning for cleaning tomorrow. On a brighter note we had our first cold weather comfort dinner. Linguine with meat sauce and garlic bread. It was also our first big batch so we have three more dinner in the freezer.

I spent most of yesterday looking for a bedroom lamp, as the one I had was no longer functioning properly. Everything was crap and/or ugly, or huge. Went to five places before I finally remembered Lowe’s has better quality lamps. >_< Found the perfect one there. Derp!

Oh, and stuffing myself full of tamales at one of the extremely few authentic Mexican restaurants here. They have a small grocery and a bakery where I can get oodles of delicious pan dulce and other sweet treats. Also, it’s the only place in town (so far) where I’ve found the packets of Abuelita cocoa (instead of the tablets). Om nom nom.

One of my closest friends just told me she’s moving to Ireland soon. Another might be leaving for Spain soon as well. I’m happy for them and I’ll support them, but I’m also just really really sad.

I live in Eastern Europe, where the politics keep getting worse and more pointless, young educated people are leaving in droves, and that makes me feel like a schmuck for wanting to stay, yet I don’t really want to leave! Our government is completely ridiculous, the general atmosphere in the country as well, and yet I’m starting my own business here! This is my home, the country itself is beautiful, I want my parents to be close to their grandkids one day, and I don’t want to always be a stranger in another country (I’ve lived abroad before).

How do you deal with such difficult decisions, or with grief about people leaving?

My wife and I have talked about moving to Ecuador (her family is from there) for similar socio/political reasons – and we live in America just outside Washington, DC! My family has deep roots here from the country’s founding, and I feel my ancestors in every rock and tree. That said, life has gotten real complex and more hostile than I’d like here. My mom already moved down there for her own reasons, and her mom is about to retire and go there too. It would be like cutting off my feet that have always trod this ground to be a stranger elsewhere, like you said. Our mood sways with the news, sometimes we want to stay and fight as it were, other times we’re looking at the door.

Ultimately it’s just stuff. Our tiny house, cars, etc. We can find another place to live, another car, and stuff to be comfortable wherever we go. It’s not like we’re moving to Mars, just another spot on the same rock. I’d have to work on my Spanish, but that would only make me smarter. I’m used to “living simple” thanks to spending many years stupid poor, so starting over isn’t as scary for me. I love exploring someplace new (so moving to Mars would be the ultimate for me anyway). Her, not so much, but she has a huge family network down there (I must have met 200 cousins on our last trip) and we could make it work.

Many of my friends have moved away from this area already -mostly to different parts of the US but some internationally. Those I am closest to, we still chat on the interwebs like they lived across town, so it’s not so strange. When they’re back visiting, it’s like they never left. That makes it much easier for us, anyway.

I know what you mean about not loving the government or attitude in your country and yet wanting to stay. Much like Wrench Turner, my family were among the first European settlers to my country. They were among the people who fought in our Revolution. They were among the people who fought (for the North, thankfully) in our Civil War and they are all here now. I look around in horror at the current climate and yet…I cannot fathom moving. This is my home. This is where I am from and it is where my ancestors lived and died.

I’ve had friends move away. Some just across the country (which is far enough!) and some out of the country. It is tough. But I find that it is still easy to stay pretty connected. No, we can’t go out to dinner but we can have a Skype & Dinner date (we make the same meal or same type of meal and Skype while we cook and eat). We text all the time and when we can, we visit in person.

I just moved to a more humid place and my hair (long, wavy, highlighted) is getting really frizzy.
My hair loved Boston’s super dry winters and was a little straighter and well-behaved there, even in the summer. If it’s styled right, it does the Disney princess look which I love but even without styling it was still fairly nice.
Here, however, it’s frizzy and much wavier. I can’t deal with the frizz anymore! I don’t heat treat it at all and wash and condition every other day (trying to make that less often.) Brushing it makes it super frizzy but it’s really tangle prone and I can’t not brush it. I want my lovely winter hair back! Any suggestions from others with in-betweeny hair?

My mom has that kind of hair (we affectionately call her a poodle when we’re in humid countries) and she needs to use far heavier products in those climates. She has very fine hair so she doesn’t at home but in humid climate, she has to use lots of hair oil and things like that. She’s a fan of Kerastase’s line for “unruly” hair.

Do you shampoo your hair? I wonder if going no-poo or using conditioner washing could help?

With my mom’s hair, it seem like it becomes more porous in humidity so anything to keep those natural oils might help.

(Disclaimer: Not a hairdresser and I have straight hair. I do know a fair amount about hair though. I collect hobbies ;))

I do shampoo my hair! There’s plenty of it but the strands are thin (hello blonde hair!) so it gets oily fairly quickly – it gets super oily if I go wash every third day instead of every other. I don’t generally use any product in my hair (I’m a super low maintenance ponytail kinda gal) but what I do use tends to be very light. I might try a heavier product – the non-scalp-touching parts of my hair are the worst so it could just be a lack of oils locking things in.

Every time I cut it, I really like the cut and… basically start growing it back out immediately. My self-image is very tied up in my hair looking a certain way, apparently! I’m resigned to doing more daily maintenance, if that’s what it takes. I’m just hoping to shortcut as much of the experimenting as I can.

(for reference, I probably buy 3 articles of clothing a year but I think it’s completely reasonable to drop $180+ on a cut and partial highlight.) I’m probably due for a trim, which is part of the problem, but I don’t know any good hairstylists around here.

Just remember that they will likely push the products sold in the salon. They pretty much have to, but you don’t have to buy or use them. My salon is Kevin Murphy, and while I like the products, they’re SUPER expensive. Examples: Smooth Again serum and Repair Me leave-in are $35 a pop, but they’re ultra concentrated and last for a very long time (especially the Smooth Again, which I bought because it smells absolutely divine). But yeah, I can’t afford that regularly. I don’t even want to know how much the shampoo and conditioner cost. My hair is thick and naturally a little wavy, but it’s also bleached, and I have to be very careful with it.

I actually found a product combination that works for me: Hask Repairing shampoo and conditioner with argan oil, and Garnier Sleek and Shine Intensely Smooth leave-in conditioner and the smoothing milk (NOT the slick clear stuff). All are available at Walmart. A couple of times a month, I use the Hask deep conditioner in a little envelope, also available at Walmart. I only need half of it at a time.

My hair doesn’t look the way it does after I see my stylist unless I see my stylist, as I haven’t mastered the blowout yet. And it still gets frizzy in our humidity unless I flatiron it, but those products help me. You don’t have to use that exact thing–I just wanted to illustrate that the salon stuff isn’t always necessary.

I use Kevin Murphy and the shampoo and conditioner are also about $35/each. But even though I have long-ish hair, it really doesn’t take much, and I only have to buy more every 5-6 months. So, honestly, it has come out to be the same amount of money per year as when I bought drugstore, but had to replace pretty frequently.

And I LOVE the texture and color of my hair using Kevin Murphy regularly.

Oh! and yes, I need to train my hair to go longer. It took me a while to go to every other day instead of every day and now I’m convincing myself that it won’t be the end of the world to go through another few weeks with slightly oily hair.

Can I ask about this “training your hair to tolerate less washing” thing…I’m starting to see it a lot on comment boards. What do people do for a living that they can go for days without cleaning their hair? I’m assuming it isn’t waitressing or anything else in an odorous environment. I come home reeking of fryer grease.

I used to wash it with shampoo every day, but then I started only doing it once or twice a week (this was before I went blonde). The rest of the time, I either skip it (if it’s still clean) or conditioner-wash it to get styling product and sweat/dirt out and keep it soft. It’s all about not using soap on it so much, which can make it really dry.

I also get greasy quick if I don’t wash. My hair gal taught me to just wash the bangs top more often and less for the length. This helps a ton. Plus some dry shampoo here and there. I either do my hair once or twice a week or braid it. I’m never going to be the one who goes all out every day. Also thick conditioning masks go a long way for me. Not on my roots of course. I do that about once every third total wash. Keeps it calmer.

So I’m not sure if this will be helpful or not – I have really thick, wavy/curly/frizzy hair that I haven’t completely beaten into submission yet- but something I picked up pretty recently is changing up how I was my hair. So now I shampoo, rinse that out, cover -everything- in conditioner, let that sit while I wash my face/shave/etc, detangle and rinse, and then shampoo again. It’s helped a good bit in keeping my hair under control as far as oiliness, etc. For product, I really like DevaCurl.

What kind of brush are you using? I have frizzy hair and I only ever use either a Denman brush (hard, plastic comb-like bristles) or a comb or ideally nothing at all if I don’t want to straighten it – it goes ringletty until I sleep on dry hair and then it goes FOOM. I don’t condition either as I don’t believe it actually helps matters.

Some people swear by no shampoo, or doing a thing with a cotton t shirt that seems to work for others but made me look like an electrocuted hedgehog.

I use, I guess, a normal brush? Just with the gel handle and the air-filled bristle part; the bristles are plastic. I don’t use anything fancy in my hair (mostly because I’m lazy.) I use conditioner but I’ve gone without before and the results were Not Good.
Not brushing is not an option, unfortunately. My hair has a magical ability to tangle like nobody’s business – I frequently have serious knots around my hair ties when I take them out at the end of the day.

Re: brushes, I have a different hair type, but I’ve heard from people that this can make a difference. Essentially too many bristles can add to the frizz as they are essentially separating all the strands individually. Bigger/harder bristles (ala a comb) should be able to get the knots out, but with essentially less foofing off the hair as it were :D

I have very thick, very wavy, very frizzy hair and I’m having some success with coating it in conditioner and working it through with a comb in the shower, then applying some bumble and bumble no blow and a leave in. I use some really heavy duty conditioners and it seams to help with the frizz.

I don’t have this specific problem. but something I discovered by accident (water in my eyes and picked up the wrong bottle) put conditioner on first; wash it out and THEN shampoo. It made such a difference. I don’t use use conditioner very often because it makes my hair too slick to hold a curl, but doing this was great!! About two weeks later I read a magazine article suggesting this very thing.

I have thin and slightly curly long hair. I use Ouidad Humidity control gel. It’s a little expensive but you don’t need a lot. I might use a quarter size amount. I use it on more than damp (but not dripping) hair.

Have you tried dry shampoo or baby powder, at least for the “trying to wash it less often” part? I honestly don’t know what I’d do without it anymore! I’d normally have to wash my (also blonde highlighted, lots of it but thin-ish and layered) hair every other day, but with several applications of dry shampoo I’m down to once a week! The last day or two it’s in a bun usually, but still.

You need to check out the Curly Girl book. Figure out what type of hair you have and then follow their tips about how to care for it. I also have wavy hair and even though I still regularly shampoo, I only comb my hair with a wide-toothed comb in the shower while it has conditioner in it. I never brush it unless I’m going to be putting it up in a bun or something anyway. Brushing destroys your wave/curl formation. The only product I use right now is Frizz-Ease, which I also put in at the end of my shower and scrunch but I’m thinking about getting a curl-enhancing gel that will help give some hold.

Humidity is a PITA and honestly I’m not sure anything is going to give you back the hairstyle/habits you’re used to. (I grew up someplace humid, moved someplace dryer, believed I’d gotten great at styling my hair…then moved back to humidity and realized I didn’t know a thing.)

My basic tips:

1) Invest in a flat iron/curling iron, whatever works for your hairstyle. Yeah, it takes more time, but this is the price of fighting the frizz. I find that these tools impose some order at least for the day.

2) For extreme cases — I’m not kidding here — consider Velcro rollers and an old-timey bonnet hairdryer. You will feel like you should be named Pearline and voting for LBJ, but you can at least do other things like check email while you’re under it. Your hair will keep that shape for multiple days.

Thank you for that great visual! Suddenly I’m back in my mom’s kitchen getting a home perm and sitting under her bonnet dryer while my mom and aunts smoke in the kitchen and drink coffee. (That was the 80s, but still!)

mine’s longish, fine, and sometimes ridiculously frizzy – I swear by LUSH’s Roots as a hair mask (one use tends to leave it well-behaved for several days) and a natural-bristle brush (other brushes aren’t fine enough to get between the hairs (which tangle as a sport) and just ramp up the floof by building up static)

I can’t win on this one. When I visit relatives in Colorado where it is bone dry my hair is perfect and my skin goes nuts no matter how much moisturizer I slather on. In humid places, my skin is fine but my hair is immediately a limp pile.

I’m a fine, frizzy hair girl (3a curls, more or less), and I haven’t brushed it in years. Even when it’s long. I only detangle it wet with a wide-toothed comb. I like Madam CJ Walker’s Curl Defining Milk for management. You can get it on Amazon, but somehow it’s cheaper at Sephora, at least last time I checked.

They actually do have brushes for wet hair now! It’s a company called Wet Brush that makes them and they’ve been wonderful for my super thick hair that takes ages to comb. That plus Shea Moisture detangler cut my hair combing time in half. I was skeptical at first but it’s quickly become one of my “must-haves.”

How thick is your hair? I wonder if having it thinned a bit during your next cut might help a bit? I have thick, curly hair and I’m prone to frizzing when it’s humid. It seems more manageable when I have it thinned. That way when it starts to frizz, it doesn’t puff out so much.

Not that thick. It needs to be layered but it’s more thick for the type of hair I have than thick hair in general. (I grew up in south Texas; the sylists there thought my hair was average. It wasn’t until I moved to a city and started seeing more specialized stylists that I realized my hair was on the thicker side – the layering helped a lot.)

Go to Amazon.com and look up the book “Curly Girl”, then read all the comments about how life-changing the method has been for so many. (You don’t have to buy the book on Amazon, or even at all – just read some of the comments.) It was written by the women who makes the Deva products and the over-rated Devacurl hair cut, but what she promotes makes sense: Do not put junk in your hair, and you will not have to wash it with stuff to get that junk out. She does not recommend products, just specific ingredients to look for or steer clear of. You can find similar hair philosophies on the ‘net as well, but if you buy the book it will be the best $10 you ever spend on a hair product.

If you follow this method, you’ll be “washing” your hair with conditioner every day, putting non-silicone product in it, and letting it air dry. No combing, no brushing. Depending on your hair, you might clip it up at the roots as it dries. (I did this because my hair is heavy.)

I grew up with stick straight long hair. I cut it short and wore it that way through my twenties, at which point I had two kids. When I decided grow my hair out, it would not behave. It just went frizzy when I brushed and even blow-dried it. Someone said “I think your hair wants to curl” which I thought was absurd. But it turns out something had happened to it during my twenties/two pregnancies, and it was no longer straight. I tried this method, and it indeed was wavy/curly/in-betweeny. I cut it short again after I went on some meds that thinned it out, but in the 6 years I wore it long and wavy no one could believe I did not use shampoo.

Have you tried a hair oil? You put a squirt in you hand and then work it through (use a second squirt if you have a lot of hair like me). Comb/brush it through wet, and then once it’s dry, brush it again.

Or blow dry it to 80% dry, put some oil in and then dry it completely with a brush or comb. I live on the west coast of Canada and we are fairly humid (my hair goes curly/frizzy) and the only thing that works is hair oil and some heat.

With humidity, you basically want to keep your hair from picking up extra moisture, so you need so something to seal the cuticle to keep it smooth. I live in the deep South, where humidity has a life of its own, and have corkscrew curly hair.

I typically wash with a 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner, and leave it on while I wash my face, etc. Once I get out of the shower, I spray in a little leave-in conditioner, and comb it through. Then I work a dab of gel in, and comb that through, too. It’s been my experience that dampening with the leave-in spray and then working through the gel lets the mix really coat all my hair, and I can use less gel since the spray helps distribute it better.

Bonus with using the hair gel – if your hair starts to frizz during the day, you can usually dampen your hands, lightly run them over your hair, and re-activate the gel to tame the frizz again.

Lately I’ve been thinking about going back to church, something I haven’t done in about two decades.

I didn’t grow up with church – no one in my family followed any form of organised religion – but when I was a child we had a family friend (with a daughter my age) who did, and at one point suggested I go with them. I did so for about two years, but at that age I was probably too young to really grasp everything that was going on (I can’t even tell you which denomination that church was).

To be clear I didn’t have a bad experience or anything – quite the opposite in fact, they were lovely people who genuinely cared (well most of them anyway, I’m sure there were exceptions). The reason I stopped going was mainly due to logistics – my friend’s parents used to pick me up on Sundays but we moved away and it wasn’t practical anymore. I’m sure when I was going to church I /believed/ in the things I was taught, but I can’t say for sure if it was a different sort of ‘belief’ to the type attributed to things like magic or Santa Claus, I might’ve been too young to know the difference.

Then somewhere along the process of growing up I lost faith – I can’t pinpoint the exact reason, but it was probably a combination of meeting too many people who claim to be Christians who are awful people and hypocrites (including one religious studies teacher in high school who thankfully was only there for one term). Plus all the stuff that’s come out about what goes on behind closed doors in the Catholic church, all the people who hold up religion as a reason to oppose things like birth control or same-sex marriage. As a result whenever I meet people who are overtly religious my guard goes up, perhaps unfairly.

I’m not looking to start a religious debate, just thinking about whether it’s worth giving it another go. On the one had I want to have that kind of faith again, but on the other I don’t know if I can accept such a shift in thinking. (I’m also wary of the cult-like mentality that seem to seep into some places). I know things vary from church to church, but I wouldn’t even know where to start.

To make things harder I work in a scientific field (which I love) and I’m a skeptic by nature. Is it possible to reconcile all of this – along with my own morals and beliefs formed beyond religious teachings – with religion? Or would it necessitate a drastic shift in thinking? Am I overthinking this? Surely it shouldn’t feel this overwhelming.

Disclaimer: I don’t mention this unless it’s relevant but I’m a Christian. Very liberal end of C of E. Was baptised in my 30s. By people who were absolutely for gay marriage (I checked) both individually and as a church.

First off, it’s okay to go if you want to without figuring out what you do or don’t believe. It sounds like it might feel like a drastic shift to you personally, and you might find you want to take time to explore that, and what it means for you – everyone is different.

Some people like to go to a local church where people will be welcoming and talk to them. Some would rather sit anonymously in a much bigger place. I like to go to empty churches, light candles and contemplate.

I think you get to choose what your own morals and beliefs look like. Can you be a skeptic and go to church? That’s your decision to make (but nobody has the right to tell you that you can’t).

Lots of people are scientists and religious, but none of them are you or know what is right for you.

I know plenty of good scientists who are also Christians (and some bad scientists who are Christian but their troubles don’t stem from their religion.)
If you’re interested in going to a church, I would just start going to different ones every Sunday. You can just slip in and out of services quietly until you find one that feels “right” to you. You can also go to Sunday school or socialize a bit after the service to see if you like the congregation. Just say you’re new to the area when introducing yourself – people are used to seeing new faces and temporary faces in church. Churches are supposed to be welcoming places.
I’m not a church goer but when I go to services with friends and/or family, I strongly prefer old-fashioned services or Mass to the more modern Jesus is Cool services. But some of my friends are the exact opposite.

My grandma, who’s now in her 90s, was always someone who searched. She grew up Lutheran but was agnostic.

But there is not one person I know who knows more about world religions than she. Name it, she’s studied it. She’s learned about everything from Taoism to Hinduism and Buddishm (as in, visiting scholars and “priest” (can’t think of the proper world for all religions” would stay at their house.

She converted to Catholicism in her 60s and has had extensive correspondence with European scholars on stuff related to Catholicism.

She’s also very very scientifically minded. Everything from marine biology to astrophysics. She was over yesterday and though she can barely see or hear, she’s been reading some books by Oliver Sacks. We spent a pleasant hour discussing the brain, differerent disorders and where our personalities are.

Next time I see her, she might want to talk 14th catholic mysticism or fractals. (It has happened…)

My point is, she tried everything before she found what she considers to be her religious home. And she enjoyed the search. She still enjoys it.

She really is. I have so many stories but my favorite is about her and my grandpa.

I don’t believe in soulmates as a rule but with them, I have to wonder.

They were married for 65 years and were as in love the day he died as when they met.

My grandma is Dutch and my grandpa is Swedish. He was an engineer and a few years after the war, he went on a business trip to Holland. It was the custom to go out to dinner with female company (wives and the like) and one of the ladies had to cancel so she asked her friend, my grandma, to go in her stead.

I guess my grandparents must’ve clicked because after that they started writing letters to each other.
None of them spoke each other’s language so my grandpa wrote in German and my grandma in English, until she learned Swedish and he Dutch.

They met again a year later when my grandma came to Sweden and they went up in the mountains to skiing. She was terrified the entire time – not a lot of mountains in Holland.

The third time they met, it was on the Swedish Seafarer Church in Rotterdam for their marriage.

We still have a lot of their correspondence, including the letter my grandpa wrote to my grandma’s father, in pretty terrible Dutch, not asking for his permission to marry but for his blessing, and how he would care for his daughter all his life because he had never loved anyone more than her.

Even a few weeks before his death, when he could hardly see or think, he remembered my grandma’s birthday and got her three red roses.

I agree. Try out some different churches to see where you feel comfortable. My church is on the more non-traditional side. The atmosphere is one that helps people who’ve never been to church or who haven’t been in a while feel comfortable and welcome.

I lost faith as a small child. I mean I didn’t start out thinking they were lying to me. When first exposed, it never occurred that people would lie to me about it.

It’s just that it surprised me when they told me things that I had observed to be untrue. If I asked questions, people who didn’t seem to understand logic or the scientific method started bullshitting me to the point that I decided they were pulling it out of their asses.

I have no idea what is the truth but I really can’t take anyone’s word for it, now. It might as well all be Easter Bunny stories.

Some really good advice already given here. If you are looking for churches on the more liberal side of things, you probably want mainline Protestant — such as the Episcopal church or the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) or the PCUSA (Presbyterian Church in the USA). [Oops . . . I’m assuming you are in the states. Well, the main point is that many Protestant churches have both a conservative wing and a liberal wing, and it might be worth checking church websites before you go to make it less likely that you wander into a church you will never accept.] If you are thinking about Catholicism, official doctrine is the same everywhere, but the experience at the parish level can be radically different.
As a historian of religion, my understanding of religion is quite different from many people’s. I note that religion is something that exists in nearly all times, cultures and places, although of course it exists in wildly different forms. To me, this suggests that there is some widespread need in human nature that it answers. I think of it less as “Here are faith statements that I must agree to” and more “This is something like song or art — it answers to something that people want or need, even if they can’t say why. Why do people all over the world sing? I don’t know. But they do, so singing must have some point.”
It occurs to me that what I just wrote might sound dismissive of atheists, agnostics, people who have been hurt by religion, or others. In no way do I mean that! Just because religion (or song, or poetry, or sex, or having kids, or world travel) might serve a need — meaning? transcendence? community? — for some people, doesn’t mean that every individual feels that need or that everyone answers it in the same way. I am always interested in the way that different people are drawn so strongly to different things. If someone feels drawn to learn to fix cars, or play the cello, or study accounting, I will always say, “Do it!” In the same vein, if you feel a religious impulse, I think you should explore it in whatever way seems best to you.

And going to church purely for the music is a totally valid thing! I have gone to church with people who do that while professing their unbelief. The church’s official policy was “great, seriously, ALL are welcome.”

If I could find a church that has a service that is entirely in song, I’d go back to church in a heartbeat. Alas, I haven’t found one yet, and I couldn’t sit through another, “You shouldn’t vote for evil liberals if you’re a real Christian” sermon.

I’m Presbyterian. Sorry this is so long. I hope you find it helpful, not contentious.

I think TL’s advice about trying different churches is great.

Two other thoughts.

I think if you went to a society where the general population – outside of churches – thought cats were demons, someone would find scriptural authority for that. And after the general population decided cats were pets, twenty years later churches would preach that too. I think (sections of?) the Christian church (possibly other religions too) being composed of ordinary fallible people, will always be able to rationalise not being socially progressive – and I think as society changes, the church, while it lags behind, will also change.

For me, none of that is a problem with faith as such, it’s just a bad effect of religious institutions. And there are compensating good effects as well.

Secondly – seeing you’re a scientist and a sceptic – it’s either true or false. Either God exists, or s/he doesn’t. If s/he exists, and the Christian Idea of that is more-or-less accurate, and you have to change your morals and beliefs as a result – that’s the scientific way, really, isn’t it? And if it’s false, that would be a useful thing to be sure of.

I hope you don’t feel that’s contentious – I don’t mean to start a debate. I just mean to say, be as sceptical as you are, and as scientific as you can be – if it’s true, it will be true nonetheless. (And I don’t know what to say about the cats-are-demons people: they are always with us. But there are the make-poverty-history people too.)

Oof, I empathize. A lot. Especially with the “I want to have faith, but I’m also scientifically oriented” part.

A part of me wishes I had the kind of strong faith that I see as useful for some of my friends, however, it’s not something I can force and it just doesn’t feel congruent with my other beliefs. Especially since in my part of the world there are no “universalist” churches or something similar – you’re either Catholic or you’re not, and for almost everything else you’ll have to do your worshipping by yourself, so that greatly diminishes the option of having a community, which I find possibly the best part of religions.

However, I’m also so turned off by so many elements of most religions, and I end up feeling like they often do more harm than good.

So my “solution”, however tentative it is, is to try and put that faith that I would like to put into something greater into myself. I don’t mean that in the individualistic “I can do everything by myself, I don’t need anybody else” kind of way, no. I mean that in the way of strengthening my own capacity to deal with uncertainty and pain (as I think that that’s what religions were mostly invented for) – by breathing, meditating, therapy, moving my body, art, whatever works; of showing myself kindness and love and acceptance, and then extending it to others as well.

Believing in a God who takes care of it all seems like the easier option to me, but as I said, I can’t force myself to do it, so this is what I CAN do.

You might also try Unitarian Universalists. It’s very liberal and welcoming. A lot of people who are not Christian attend when their home “base” population isn’t big enough to sustain a building. (ba’hai, Jewish, and Hindus attended my UU church.) every congregation I’ve seen has a healthy number of scientists. I’ve found the pastor makes or breaks the church for me, so I also encourage visiting around. :)

Disclaimer: I am a non-denominational (Protestant) Christian. Sorry if this is too long.

Like others have said several times, visiting different churches is definitely something. Also, depending on how much research you want to do, nowadays you can find out a lot about what a church believes by their statements on their website. Or maybe you find a church that “fits” you even though you don’t believe everything – I don’t know, you like the music, or the people, or it’s just close to where they live and it has good kid’s programs, or something. (Although in the long run, something might come up that is too different for you.) But I do have friends who go to this church or that church and tell me “they don’t agree with everything” but they still go because (insert reason here).

As a lot of people have said, there are many scientists who are/were Christians and many who aren’t. There are many books written by various scientists over the years who have written about being both a scientist and a Christian and how they reconcile it/deal with skepticsm. Krista Tippert wrote Einstein’s God and a DNA scientist wrote Language of God (Collins, I think). I have not read either, but recall seeing those on Christian non-fiction shelves in B&N.

Like Ramona Flowers said – a bigger church is easier to slip in and out the pack and not be the obvious visitor (even if you don’t raise your hand. Thankfully the “if you are a visitor, please raise your hand” has been going out of fashion.) But sometimes a church can have its appeal for other things – the architecture, the stained glass, etc. I go to High Latin Mass sometimes because I find something comforting in all the ritual and incense and schola singing/chanting in Latin.

Or ask your friends that do go to a religous service. Many people might be pretty willing to talk about what they like/don’t like–why they go. I have several friends who are Christian, we don’t go to the same churches, and we sit around and discuss what we like/don’t like/disagree with etc.

I think you can start exploring before committing, and I think it’s certainly possible to reconcile science and faith (or rather, to live with them in parallel – I think they are very different ways of approaching very different issues, for me anyway, not competing ways of explaining natural phenomena as they might have been in 1550).

My main point is that I think what you should not look for is a return to the kind of belief you had as a child. A lot of Christians and ex-Christians go through crises of faith as young adults when our ways of thinking get more sophisticated and we can’t hang on to our more simplistic ideas from childhood. Some people reject them and some reinterpret, but for the serious thoughtful Christians I know, it can’t stay the same. The book “History of God” by Karen Armstrong talks about a wide variety of ways Christians, Jews, and Muslims have conceived of God over the centuries, it’s fascinating and I recommend it.

One of the things that I gave up in my own crisis of faith (which was like 12 years long) was the idea that faith is a value proposition that you believe is either true or false, and that the truth of religious ideas is anything that can be proven like a scientific fact. I have really leaned a lot on the idea that faith is a commitment to the absurd, with “good fruits” in my life as the most “proof” I am ever going to get. I guess in simple terms, I just want to say you can go to church and participate as fully in Christian life as you want to, even if you don’t feel sure about what you believe, because lived experience is just as much a way to find truth as philosophy and argument.

If you liked the ritual and community of church, but aren’t looking for strict doctrine, maybe look at Unitarian Church or Quaker meeting houses? Both are typically very welcoming and open to people interpreting their faith in their own way.

Totally! I was raised Mormon, and left the church when I was 21, and about a year ago I found I missed church–not the doctrine I’d been raised with, but the music and ritual and community. Now, I go to a Unitarian Universalist congregation in my city, and I love it. There’s a lot of flexibility around individual beliefs, so being a scientist and a skeptic would be in no way contradictory, we’re super LGBTQ+-friendly, and any church where we sing Dolly Parton AND old-school hymns is cool in my view.

I’m an irreligious Pagan, but for all the good people reasons you described, yes, you should try looking at churches again. The community matters more than the doctrine, which you don’t have to agree 100% with anyway. I would visit new churches to see what the people there are like, making 2 or 3 trips. You don’t owe anyone there anything, so no harm done if you ultimately move on. If something red flags, you can be on your way.

It is possible to reconcile these things, I think. I’m a science-minded technical contractor, but I still see the wonders of the cosmos in the sun, moon and sky everyday. Beautiful artistry of creation can be seen in the crushed rock quartz crystals on the rooftops I walk on. I love the shattered ice pattern of zinc oxide on the surface of galvanized steel. I know that the physics of compressed boiling refrigeration gasses are at play on every planet everywhere. That’s wonderful to me. Does that mean there is no divine hand at work? To me, it doesn’t matter. Be a good person to everyone you meet, even (especially) those that disagree with you or despise you. Help other people as much as you can even (especially) those that disagree with you or despise you. Unless you can build something beautiful and helpful in your wake, leave only footprints. If I meet St. Peter at the gates, I’ll deal with it then. Meantime, I care more about the people that are living here, now, and who will live here after I’m gone.

Besides, I’ve probably watched too much Star Trek for my own good. If I ever actually met a god, I’d probably treat them like any other alien life form I don’t yet understand.

Good luck in your search. Enjoy it. The obstruction is the path, and the path is the point.

So to your second question, I think you can choose what parts of the religion you want to believe in (e.g. Jesus, God, rules for living a good life) without having to believe in things that go against your beliefs about how the world works (perhaps virgin birth, miracles in general, Adam and Eve – fill in the blanks with whatever applies to you personally). I don’t think that’s being a bad Christian, I think that’s being a rational person who thinks about the claims others make. And many churches will ascribe to different views on these subjects too.

What exactly are you looking to get out of going to church though? Like, I’m a former Catholic and I no longer believe any of the stories etc, but I find something very comforting and familiar in going to church on Christmas and Easter. It’s similar to how it wouldn’t feel like Christmas without the tree. So, figure out exactly what you want to get out of going to church/redeveloping your faith, so you can tell if you’re getting closer to having that.

Good advice above. My medium-sized town is home to a very large scientific research facility, where I work. The churches in town are full of scientists and engineers. From the other angle, the research facility is full of people of many spiritual beliefs. My experience is that science and spirituality are far more entwined than people outside realize.

I’m a Christian and I love learning about science. Think of it this way, God created every thing but He didn’t tell us how it worked, instead He gave us intelligence and curiosity. Asking questions is good! There are multiple times in the Bible where God encourages people to ask questions and times when we are encouraged to try and figure out the answers on our own before the answer is given.

It does feel overwhelming because it is a life choice, but the great thing is the rest of us started the same way. You have to take it one step at a time. If you decide to go to church and end up accepting God into your heart you will start to see some changes. It is a process.

When looking for a church I would encourage you to go to their website and look at their mission/belief statements. It’s not a foolproof way of picking out the bad ones (and there are lots of bad ones!) but it can help. Look of churches that boldly state that they follow the Bible, teach that Jesus is the only way to God, God is all powerful and good, the Holy Spirit is here to guide us, and that Christians should love one another. Those are some basic guideposts to look for.

Also get a Bible, and read it. And please don’t start in the old testament, that has to do with the old covenant that Jesus replaced so it’s not a great place to start. Start reading the new testament and learn about how the church started. And you know what, even if you haven’t accepted Jesus into your heart yet you can still pray a simple “please help me understand this and give me wisdom” prayer. Same with choosing a church. If you feel like you want to go back, you are being called, so answer back and ask for guidance when picking a church (no need for flowery language, just plain simple words work). You never know what might happen.

I know you mean well, but this sounds so terribly exclusionary. Christians (alone?) should love each other. Shouldn’t we be kind to each other regardless of our religions? Don’t learn the Old Testament? Only look for a community that thinks Jesus is the only way to G-d? This is not intended as a judgement on you, just to comment that perhaps this didn’t come across the way you intended?

I do disagree with excluding the Old Testament, that’s a history lesson on why we need Jesus, and that Christians should be serving as hands and feet and loving everyone, not just each other.

However, if you ask a devout, deeply believing Christian how to reach God, they’re going to tell you Jesus is the only way. I don’t understand why you’re surprised by that. Saying Jesus is the only way isn’t intended to be exclusionary; to a Christian, Jesus is for everyone, and not just the ‘good’ people.

So here’s the thing. When you become, say, a surgeon, you are a surgeon because you qualified as one. You passed your exams and now you have scrubs and a scalpel (probably wildly inaccurate sorry).

Having those things makes you feel like a surgeon. You are a surgeon. But you don’t perform surgery unless you actually operate on patients. It’s not just being, but doing.

Some people think believing in Jesus is the operation, the doing. It’s the heart surgery that makes you a surgeon. Some people might see Jesus as the scrubs and the scalpel – and the heart surgery is what you do with that. And I don’t mean evangelising, because that’s just handing your scalpel to other people and telling them you have it.

I mean stuff like buying food for the food bank as well as yourself. Stuff about what you do and how you treat others. I don’t know if that makes any sense.

I guess what I was trying to say is that I don’t think believing in Jesus or going to church makes me a Christian, any more than holding a scalpel makes someone a surgeon. It’s what you DO with the scalpel that matters.

Well, put it this way, from the perspective if a Christian – even the demons believe in Jesus. If you are so inclined, you may like the passage from James 2:16-26. It would help you explain better in the future why you feel the way you do in a language any Christian should understand; whether the passage means anything you personally or not.

I don’t think she meant NEVER read the Old Testament, just don’t start there. TOT is so stern and forbidding for someone just starting to explore their faith. Find a church that feels right for you, and maybe get some guidance from someone in the church you respect. A lot of people recommend starting with the book of John. There’s no exact way to Christian faith; except that you are seeking Jesus. All I’m saying is, think about it and read and study. What works for me may not work for you.

Also, it’s a complete turn-off for someone gently exploring the idea of religion or church attendance to start in about things like ‘Jesus is the only way’ or to say you’ll pray for them. Meeting people where they’re at is, I think, far more helpful.

It’s always sort of mesmerizing to me that this was never taught when witnessing. We were coached on all sorts of sneaky, underhanded ways to start conversations, but never to just be open, accepting, and not start “one true church”-ing people.

Ok you do realize that you’re on a public forum with Jews reading, right? Like, we can hear you when you talk about our books being forbidding, stern, and replaced by Jesus. To us, they are not. Attempt to be more respectful of other people’s beliefs.

It’s probably too late to see this, but I think this was shorthand for telling them it’s worth skipping over the parts on what animals to sacrifice and how, how to treat your slaves, and all of those rules from the time. I actually would recommend the stories of Genesis and Exodus, Exodus is probably my favorite part of the Bible. The theme of the stories of Joseph and Moses are about being watched out for, and being guided, even though you don’t always know what the meaning of what you’re going through is at the time.

Perhaps. That doesn’t change the fact that dissing Jewish holy books on Yom Kippur on a public forum hosted by a Jewish woman with Jewish readers was in poor taste. My point is that Christians should watch their language when they talk about their Old Testament, because it’s our Torah and we can hear you.

I’m an ex-evangelical, and the entire comment is coded witnessing. I can smell it a mile away.

It was intended to be exclusionary because a certain group of folks believes that there’s only one way to Heaven, and it’s through “accepting Jesus into your heart”. It’s written to almost seem as if it’s encouraging OP to investigate, but if you read it carefully, you’ll notice that the entire thing is “do this and only this”.

Yes, if your starting point is feeling that you are an outsider, reading that being kind to one another is a specifically Christian thing or that one religious figure is the only way to know God does not really make you less of an outsider.

These attitudes are why I’m not involved in organized religion anymore. What could be a way to connect with something larger than yourself becomes a way to form a social clique.

For me, a sense of community was the most important. How do people treat each other? My first church was equivalent to sitting alone on an iceberg, it was a cold, lonely place. I went there for 8 plus years and did not have a single friend.
Why bother? So I didn’t for decades.
I thought about the community thing and I realized that I had another need/focus that was also very high on my list. I wanted to be around people who were discussing today’s concerns and how to make a moral decision in the face of the chaos we have here.

While my church is not handling some of the harder topics out there (molestation, drug use and so on) they still do talk about some things that come up often and are relevant.
To combat my concerns about cults I decided to stay with well-recognized denominations. The church I go to now frequently says that it is important to be part of a larger group, for the sake of transparency, accountability, and integrity. This just resonated with me, so I added to my list “church must have layers of governance”. There should be higher ups in the organizational chart.

You may be able to find a church that is interested in blending science and the bible. I think that would be fascinating.
Some churches have assigned people who scan the congregation for new faces. Once they spot the new face they go over and greet that person. Understand that this is normal to them and use the opportunity to say what you would like to say. “I am looking for a new church. I am not sure I will find one. But today, I decided to come here.”
If they offer an adult Sunday school, check it out as an observer. Watch what they talk about, how they talk to each other and think about the relevance of the conversations.
If you decide to join a church the church should resonate with you more often than not. I don’t think anyone agrees with everything their church says. However, most of the time what they are saying should make sense to you and be of some value to you. I think feeling connected to people at church is super important. And last, I think that a church should comfort us in some manner.

I feel that it never hurts to spend some time in church. I was raised catholic but didn’t attend regularly. Church can and should be what you make of it. I love to go to full mass, sit and soak it in. The beauty, the prayers, the incense. It can just be calming for me. I go much more often now than I did when I was younger. You don’t have to be the full fledged, always go, member. You can make it the experience you want.

I sometimes go to the Christmas midnight mass at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC (I live close enough) to hear the choir, the incense, and a bunch of people getting together to sing and hope for peace. I cried last time. I’m not even Christian. Hope I can go this year.

I will start this with a disclaimer: When I was very young, we attended Catholic Church. I don’t remember anything about it, except the day we left. My mother had a major disagreement with something we were taught in the pre-school church class and she literally drug us out and we never went back. We attended no church after that – ever. My mother turned towards spiritualism a little Wicca here and there mixed with general Christian ideas. But she steadfastly did not discuss this with my sister and I – she wanted us to make up our own minds. Around Jr High we began going to youth groups but it was more for socializing. If you asked me then, I would say I was Christian and I believed. At a camp, I even went up and prayed for salvation. In my late teens/early 20s I began to question this in light of some really difficult personal times and a reevaluation of what felt true to me.

I actually don’t know what I believe now and I haven’t for some time. If you asked me, I would say I don’t believe anything in the Bible is literal. I don’t believe the world was created in 7 days, that the world started with just two people (how does that even work? And if it did, who the heck was Cain afraid of, anyway?), the Flood, the Exodus, or any of the NT that isn’t backed up by historical fact including the resurrection story. None of it makes sense. I think they are (sometimes) nice moral tales and perhaps the people that wrote them thought they were being inspired by a god to write them. But I also question if what we have today is even remotely close to what they originally wrote: there is a lot of historical and political changes in there.

And yet, something in me thinks maybe there is something out there. Maybe this isn’t random. Maybe we aren’t alone. I think that is more wistful hope than actual belief, though. I do know I am not Christian (or any major religion) and I find those faiths personally offensive. I would guess I am probably more spiritual than anything. Sometimes I feel the need to go to church and so I try lots of different services from different faiths where possible. I always leave disappointed.

Interestingly, my mother is now turning back towards Catholicism. How the world changes…

Are you necessarily drawn to Christianity? There are many faiths that don’t follow some of the teachings you find problematic, and you can attend services or look into them without signing on to anything.

That is true, but I spent a few years exploring other religions in the late 90s and I saw the same stuff happening in all of them. Not exactly the same, but different religions have their own versions of “bad seeds.” I saw sexism in other religions, I saw people using the house of worship as places to meet business contacts, and I saw people joining new age type groups partially to avoid adult life. I don’t want to dwell on the negatives, I’m just saying, you can avoid Christianity to avoid a not-great but known type of person, or have to be introduced to other types in different groups. No group will ever be perfect.

And this isn’t a religion, but has a spiritual component, I go to AA meetings, and some people get really on track with the self-improvement and connecting with God or their version of God, and others come in wearing tight clothes or muscle shirts (if they’re a guy) and then you find out they’ve dated extensively in the group and are basically using it as a dating service, and they will never help a newcomer in need unless they’re goodlooking, they will only help a member of the opposite sex who is attractive. This is just an example of how there are going to be bad seeds in a group who aren’t going to be there for the group’s primary purpose. (it is really annoying by the way to hear someone talk about humility and connecting with God and then see them ignore the “uncool” recovering addicts who need help in favor of the “cool” people. It’s hard to explain on paper, but its obvious what is going on when you see the same folks in action every week)

I, too, wanted to join a church. I’m an agnostic and a born skeptic, but I was attracted to the idea of a community of people gathered together to share their awe at the beauty of our planet, the creatures who inhabit it, relationships and love rather than money and materialism, altruism, sharing, and caring.

But I could not get past the fact that just about every religion worships a male deity. Crudely put, I refuse to worship someone/something with a dick. I find it offensive (I’m a woman), and I believe it reinforces a harmful existing sexist paradigm in the U.S. and in other countries. I tried to overlook it, but I couldn’t. So I stopped going. It’s still a dilemma for me. I’m considering trying UU, which doesn’t seem to emphasize the “god” (read, “male god”) aspect of communal worship. I hope it’s for me. If it isn’t, I’ll be throwing in the towel on any attempt to connect with a spiritual community.

When I was looking for a humanist community I found an Ethical Society near me, and I ended up really liking it. Very similar to a UU church, but with less of the Christian-ish/churchy heritage on display. Aesthetically, it felt more like the little community churches I grew up attending, rather than fancy or formal Catholic/mainline Protestant churches that I never felt comfortable in. I went there for a couple of years until I moved away.

Good luck on your church decision! I wanted to suggest a book, since you seem to be struggling to reconcile your desire for (some) faith with your commitment to science and modernism. I don’t think that the divide between them is as great as we make it seem. One person whose voice on faith I’ve appreciated is Francis Spufford, in Unapologetic: Why, Despite Everything, Christianity Can Still Make Surprising Emotional Sense. Spufford writes out of this place where he simultaneously believes what the church teaches, and knows that’s a really weird thing in the contemporary world; the book is an attempt to explain how the beliefs help make sense of our common experience as humanity. Maybe you’ll find it useful in “reframing” what the church teaches, putting it into contemporary lingo, and why such beliefs make sense to some of us.

For what it’s worth, I share a lot of the same feelings/opinions that you’ve described here, and I was raised evangelical. I’m an atheist now. I am uncomfortable with religious folks, too.

What are you looking for that you think church might help with? This isn’t meant to be an attack, but a serious question. If it’s community, maybe UU would work for you? They don’t have a core theology, and supposedly atheists go as well. My friend who belongs loves it, but she identifies as Christian.

Your comment made me want to say, I think it’s a trend now to think that the only thing church provides is a sense of community, because obviously anything supernatural is not real. Actually, alot of people don’t go for the community, they are going to get in touch with what the meaning of life is, where you go after we die, and to make sense of the Bible, since it does have some weird parts – from both a historical and moral part, and sometimes just to understand it in the first place, since not all of it is easy to read! And people in general want a sense of being connected to the universe and a higher power.

I actually don’t agree with this at all. I’m an atheist, and I am firmly in the minority as a person who is entirely secular. While I do not believe in God, or any form of higher power, most people are agnostic or religious. I dislike the comment that “people in general want a sense of being connected to the universe and a higher power”, because, well, that’s not universally true and leads to prejudice against secular folks.

If you read my comment, I was asking Emily what she wanted from church, specifically because she doesn’t sound like a believer.

My family belonged to a close church community growing up (Methodist) in a small town where ecumenism was strong, so we interacted a lot with the other churches and the synagogue. It was a good way to grow up. I never had a great deal of faith and didn’t attend church for a long time as an adult until I went back home to live with my mother after my father died. Going to church and being active in church was part of my mother’s being and I attended with her. She had great faith, and I could not help but be impressed with that. I also realized how much the people of that church considered me family and how much their care for me as a child had helped me. I became more involved in the church because I realized it was trying to continue that tradition of care for subsequent generations and if I didn’t help it might not be there, or it might become something that wasn’t as positive as it had been in my life. Also, I realized I had talents and skills that they could use. I found that working with people who came from a place of faith was very rewarding. Starting a meeting with a prayer asking for guidance to make the right decision and then seeing people truly work toward an understanding of what was right (even if it wasn’t what they wanted) was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I learned a lot. As for being a skeptic, I am a highly trained scientist who has taught and researched evolutionary theory. My understanding is that science and religion are addressing very different aspects of life. They are not in opposition to one another or mutually exclusive. Even if you don’t have a great deal of faith, you can learn something by being around people of faith.

If you are thinking Christian try finding a local church offering an Alpha series. It’s non denominational and while I’m attending one in my Catholic church with other born and raised Catholics its surprising how much of those same concerns are shared by those participating.

Raised Episcopalian, converted to Catholicism in college, was a lukewarm/semi-alienated Catholic for years, now much more engaged in my faith. (Which is not to say I don’t have issues with the Catholic church on occasion.) I agree with the people above who pointed out that even within the same denomination, individual churches can be radically different. For that matter, at my current parish (which I like a great deal) the “feel” is very different between different masses.

I am also a scientist, married to an engineer. Neither of us find religion to conflict with science. If you feel you’re being told that you have to check your brain at the church door to go to church, try somewhere else.

By all means, visit widely.

I also recommend a book by Richard Foster on Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home. It describes a number of different types of prayer. It was very helpful to me when I was trying to find a way into a richer spiritual life and couldn’t seem to find the right way. Answer: there are lots of right ways! You don’t have to reason out the one best way, you can follow the ways that call to you.

It can be tough to find the right fit, but if you feel it’s important to you then it’s worth doing. I’ve been looking for the right synagogue for 15 years now, my hometown one was a close-knit community in a small town that had to cater to everyone so it was kinda the Jewish version of Unitarian, at least to my limited understanding of them. So now in a city where I actually have a choice the Reform places are to loose, the Orthodox places aren’t loose enough, and on top of that it feels like I’m trying to replace my family. So I can’t offer a solution but I can offer commiseration.

As far as reconciling religion and science, don’t let the fundamentalists control your view of how things need to be defined. There’s plenty of space for religion among science, they cover different areas. The difficulty comes when religion tries to do science’s job (or vice-versa, but that doesn’t come up much).

Since I’m just coming off the holiday of Yom Kippur I’ll toss out the idea of exploring Judaism.
TL;DR: Why not Judaism? In my experience it’s an interesting, enjoyable, and spiritually nourishing religion/culture. You could follow the suggestions for church-evaluating in a Jewish context. People with a background of Yiddish call it shul-shopping. (“Shul”, pronounced “shool,” means synagogue.)

Longer discussion: The pros are that being Jewish involves both a religion and an ethnic identity. After some 5,700+ years there’s a lot of history, languages, cuisines and theological variations (from various flavors of Orthodox Judaism through Conservative, Reconstructionist, and Reform) from which to choose. Judaism has a body of beliefs but it’s also a religion of asking questions. Many authorities would say that the most important thing is not what you believe but whether you do your best to treat others the way you would want to be treated. The cons are that it’s both a religion and an ethnic identity–so some Jews by birth don’t understand why someone would want to become a Jew by choice and in some communities the Jews-by-choice may not feel fully accepted. There are also some complexities connected with the fact that some parts of the Jewish world do not recognize conversions that don’t happen within their particular subset of Jewish life. These are not impossible challenges (says the born Jew with no firsthand experience) but it’s good to be well informed and confident in your ability to find a comfortable community.

As someone else said on this thread, there are other non-Christian religions: Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Jainism, and Baha’i. But the most important is for you to find a spiritual home that’s a good fit. Religion can offer support, connection, and challenges. If it induces anguish or anger or self-loathing, keep looking!

Lifelong Catholic though I set the bar pretty low on how often I actually attend Mass. Lots of interesting points made in these comments. My thoughts:
(1) I like singing, and there were many years when the thing that brought me to church was the opportunity to sing the congregational songs.
(2) This will vary WILDLY, but my church currently has an interesting priest who will often use the sermon to give us the historical context of what the reading was. It can be like listening to a university lecture. Plus he tells at least one joke every week.
(3) I definitely don’t think that I believe the way that most other people in my church believe. However, I still find value in many of the teachings.
(4) I think there’s a similarity and wonder (as in awe and mystery) between thinking about there being a God and thinking about the big bang (HOW can everything have come from nothing? What was before the big bang?) or about the universe being infinite.

Hi Emily –
I’m not quite sure how to handle this. I’m a conservative evangelical that is trained as a pastor, although I’m not in vocational ministry, but you’re asking good questions and I’d like to help you if I can.
You said:‘I can’t pinpoint the exact reason, but it was probably a combination of meeting too many people who claim to be Christians who are awful people and hypocrites (including one religious studies teacher in high school who thankfully was only there for one term).’
Yes, there are a lot of us who are guilty as charged. There are all sorts of terrible people in churches, and I’ve had the task of helping their victims (or them, if they are willing but that’s rare) try to work on stopping their hypocrisy or recovering from it. We are poor reflections of a loving and merciful Savior at times. The best I can tell you is that we aren’t supposed to be like that but we are because we are sinners and weak. Some churches tend to attract people who are very, very unhealthy or outright abusive. Not all Christians are Christian, unfortunately, which is something that Jesus talks about (Matthew 7:21).To make things harder I work in a scientific field (which I love) and I’m a skeptic by nature. Is it possible to reconcile all of this – along with my own morals and beliefs formed beyond religious teachings – with religion? Or would it necessitate a drastic shift in thinking?
You’re asking the right questions here, and it depends on what church community you land in and what you decide you are going to decide to believe. The Unitarians or some of the very liberal Protestant denominations that made decisions long ago that they were not going to believe in the Bible or that things like evolution are correct and creation ex nihilo is not. I should warn you that Jesus is very exclusionary in what He teaches (cf. Matthew 16:24-28, John 14:6) if you decide to start reading the New Testament and take what He says at face value.
As for the reconciliation part – there have been many people who were scientists or historians or journalists or whatever that set off to discredit and disprove Christianity but wound up becoming our strongest advocates. Orthodox Christianity is able to withstand all of those questions or objections if you’re committed to finding the truth. I’ve had to rework many of my beliefs as a result of following Christ, and it’s been painful at times, but when you try to hold two separate and conflicting beliefs, one of them must eventually give way to another. I can’t tell you how you will decide, but it is up to you, because you’re the one that has to live with those beliefs and defend them. You won’t come to those crises immediately but you will eventually.
One other comment for you – Hebrews 12:6 says that “…without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” I don’t know your motivations or heart or even your real name, but if you’re serious about seeking God, then I’d recommend finding a church. I’d also recommend just about anything by Tim Keller as a way of getting your head back into the Bible or Christian Theology if that’s what you decide to do. If you aren’t sure what Bible version to buy – just about any of the mainstream translations are good (ESV is my favorite), but the NIV, NKJV, and NASB are all good. There’s more, of course, but those four are kind of my top 4 and are commonly available. The KJV is good, but can be very difficult to read if you aren’t steeped in it. You can find any of them in a decent bookstore or even download free versions from Amazon for your Kindle/iPad if you want.

We’re so flawed that we even forget to close HTML tags sometimes! Sorry about that! Here’s the updated text:
I should warn you that Jesus is very exclusionary in what He teaches (cf. Matthew 16:24-28, John 14:6) if you decide to start reading the New Testament and take what He says at face value.

As for the reconciliation part – there have been many people who were scientists or historians or journalists or whatever that set off to discredit and disprove Christianity but wound up becoming our strongest advocates. Orthodox Christianity is able to withstand all of those questions or objections if you’re committed to finding the truth. I’ve had to rework many of my beliefs as a result of following Christ, and it’s been painful at times, but when you try to hold two separate and conflicting beliefs, one of them must eventually give way to another. I can’t tell you how you will decide, but it is up to you, because you’re the one that has to live with those beliefs and defend them. You won’t come to those crises immediately but you will eventually.

One other comment for you – Hebrews 12:6 says that “…without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” I don’t know your motivations or heart or even your real name, but if you’re serious about seeking God, then I’d recommend finding a church. I’d also recommend just about anything by Tim Keller as a way of getting your head back into the Bible or Christian Theology if that’s what you decide to do. If you aren’t sure what Bible version to buy – just about any of the mainstream translations are good (ESV is my favorite), but the NIV, NKJV, and NASB are all good. There’s more, of course, but those four are kind of my top 4 and are commonly available. The KJV is good, but can be very difficult to read if you aren’t steeped in it. You can find any of them in a decent bookstore or even download free versions from Amazon for your Kindle/iPad if you want.

I see your point, but I don’t know how I could speak any differently. I am, after all, trained as a minister.

I don’t mean offense, but I have to act in accordance with what I believe to be true and speak accordingly. I would expect no less from the Jewish / Unitarian / Catholic / Presbyterian / Anglican / Pagan people on this thread.

Okay, so here’s what I would have found frustrating by your comment when I was first exploring this (I converted in from another religion):

You couldn’t resist saying you have to have belief, or implying that there is only one right way. That may be what you believe, but it’s arguably not helpful to someone trying to find their own way. I also notice you chose to say one thing about Jesus and it was to call him exclusionary! Wow! So what someone might take away from your comment is basically go big or go home. Believe this or don’t bother and hey you might not believe it now but you’ll see the light eventually.

That gets a big fat nope from me.

When I started exploring all this I met people who acknowledged that it’s not really likely that the world is just a big fat postcode lottery in which faith is an accident of birth, but simply that God wants people to know him if they can. When I started going to church, people mainly told me they were happy to answer questions. I don’t remember anyone telling me the stuff you’re saying and I would have noped right out of there if they had.

I went to see the vicar before going to church as I wanted to ask a lot of questions like do you go at the advertised time and what do you wear. He said ah yes, it’s like going to a sushi bar for the first time isn’t it? He asked me a bunch of questions about myself. I asked if he grew up Christian or had any experience of coming to it later and he told me he became a Christian in his 20s after someone told him who Jesus was – and resisted the temptation to then tell me, but just encouraged me to try it out.

It’s my personal experience that you’re better off not speaking. Wait. Hold your horses. Always remember you may be giving someone their first impression and you’ll always be giving them their most recent one. You don’t convince people by telling – not in any meaningful way.

I definitely think its worth another go. I think faith dies with age, not so much because if the typical reasons cited (if you meet someone you deem hypocritical or if there is a scandal in some house of worship) but because adult life becomes mundane and you don’t feel any sense of the extraordinary or of feeling like something larger than yourself, and anything mystical or supernatural just seems so out of reach that it has to be unreal. Then people end up looking to the occasional ghost or demon hunter show on TLC to get their dose of the supernatural, but never really contemplate what is real or not, and what it all means. I think the lack of religion is why so many adults I know are obsessed with those type of ghost shows and horror movies – its their outlet into the supernatural world and part of their brain.

Eh, I watch those shows, as do many of my friends, because they are a.) mindless entertainment, b.) constantly on TV, and c.) mildly scary at times. I really disagree with your analysis here. It’s actually pretty offensive if you’re doubting other people’s belief system and adding these extra motivations that don’t exist.

I first had my doubts about the validity of my parents’ religion when I was 8 and started thinking critically. I never had that “sense of the extraordinary” or whatever you cite here. I went along with the motions because I thought everyone else was doing the same.

Wait how am I ” doubting other people’s belief system” I don’t even know where that is coming from or what it means. You also strongly disagree with my other comment that wasn’t an opinion but a trend I see in my large social circles and community, I’m a little confused how you can disagree when I’m literally writing out what other people do to see if the OP relates. It’s like if I said, “I’m going to work” and you said “I disagree!”

I’m leaning more and more toward Buddhism as a way to meet my spiritual needs, without having to go to church (I’m not an atheist; I grew up Catholic and while I no longer attend church or practice Catholicism, I still believe in God). I don’t really need the fellowship of church, especially if I have to deal with the problems inherent in organized religion, many of which you’ve enumerated and that have driven me away from it.

The beautiful thing is that I can practice alone. I don’t need to join a temple, although I am in a meditation group to learn about that, and we do discuss the teachings.

If you’re looking for something inclusive and fairly liberal, I’ve heard that the Unitarian Universal Church is pretty good.

I’m at this point, too. If you happen to be looking for mainstream Protestant, I suggest giving Congregational and Methodist a try. The former has some “Open and Affirming” churches where people in the GLBTQIA family are welcomed with open arms. I’m also searching for a new church home…would try Unitarian Universalist myself, but not one around here. In some southern states, Disciples of Christ would be comparable to Congregational.

I had my gallbladder out a week and a half ago. I’ve been healing well but I’ve rarely been so tired in my life (not even after a pulmonary embolism!)

I originally meant to go back to work after 5 days (I’m just mentioning it, work isn’t the point of my comment!) but I just couldn’t. Every time I was up for more than a few hours, I’d get a temperature.
(And it was pretty much the worst timing ever to need an extra week off)

It took me a while to bounce back from my gallbladder removal, too. It’s a procedure some people recover from very quickly, which I think creates the expectation that it’s like that for everyone–which definitely isn’t the case. If your internal stitches don’t all hold perfectly, and/or you were very run down before the surgery, it can be a couple of weeks (or more) before you’re back in shape.

Just be patient with yourself. Don’t rush it–that’s the best way to wind up relapsing. Maybe delve into a book series or marathon a tv show you’ve wanted to see, and try to embrace the free time as a gift you can give to both body and brain.

I had mine removed on 7/31. And YES to the tiredness. Sometimes, I’m just really tired for no reason. And that’s not me! Best of luck with recovery. My lesson learned was to NOT do anything with your core/core muscles. It’s very hard not to. Very hard! I ripped a muscle or tissue or something twice between my sternum and my belly button. One was just from coughing in the car. UGH. Don’t overdo it and you’ll heal up much quicker than I did with all the “ooops” I had.

I couldn’t even open the glass door at work without an OUCH! My work was very understanding and I worked from home some, stood at my desk some when sitting was no bueno, and pretty much didn’t wear pants for 4 weeks (I live in Florida, loose dresses for those 4 weeks were my jam!). I am happy to say I’m a-ok now, and even traveled overseas with no issues. But when they say don’t lift anything for 6 weeks, they mean it! I learned what that meant…apparently even opening doors. Try to ease into it at work and hopefully they’ll be understanding even with the looming deadline.

I bought a few flowly but still dressy pants with drawstrings last week.(they are oddly popular in Sweden at the moment) They are as comfortable as sweatpants but still ok to wear to wor. I can’t imagine wearing my normal dresspants. PAIN.

Work is very understanding but it’s just such bad timing it’s not even funny. I’m a consultant (heh) and I’ve been at the current project for too long to bring anyone else in, especially with the looming deadline but there is too much work for them to manage without me. If that wasn’t the case, I would probably have lobbied for staying home another week.

Even before this, we knew that October was gonna be a crazy month with lots of late nights. I’m REALLY not looking forward to that.

Those pants sound great and comfy. Good luck with the project and listen to your body. I ratcheted down on the prescription pain meds and ended up taking ibuprofen (advil) when needed. The key is to stay ahead of the pain because those internal stitches will be uncomfortable for a while as your innards heal up. Raising up my arms (even for a tiny stretch while yawning) was not good. I felt like where they clipped off the ducts hurt the most until…it didn’t. Sending you all the quick healing vibes!

Watch or re-watch ALL of Stranger Things on Netflix before checking out Season 2 (comes out this month). And speedy recovery vibes! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took me a week to get back to work after having mine out. I did it over Thanksgiving break (had surgery that Wednesday) and was back at work the following Tuesday. But yes, I was VERY tired for at least another week. That’s major surgery! They fiddle around with your innards! I was really shocked that it was also outpatient surgery–they don’t even admit you unless they have to open you up or there are complications. Rest, rest, rest and if you still need the pain meds, take them. I tried to wean myself off them too soon (hated the side effects) and NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE.

Question for people who are experienced with eye makeup:
1. how do you stop your mascara smudging on your lower eyelid?
2. what’s the most effective way to remove eye makeup?

I’ve only started experimenting recently, and while I like the way it looks I find those two problems make it rather cumbersome – and I only do the minimal stuff (liner + mascara). Surely given there are people who wear much heavier stuff on a regular basis there are tricks to make things easier?

I am a makeup addict! The first one is really mostly a matter of finding the right mascara for you. In my experience, cheaper mascaras almost always smudge. But some more expensive ones do too – Too Faced’s Better Than Sex mascara is very popular but it never dries on my lashes and always smudges horribly. I like Urban Decay’s new Troublemaker mascara, or their Perversion. My best friend, on whom almost all mascara smudge, wears their Cannonball and never has a problem. But really, I recommend trying on lots and finding one that works for you.

I also recommend doing your eye makeup before foundation/concealer/powder so the mascara has time to dry before you add those products, but it sounds like that may not be an issue for you. Using a setting powder under the eye can help as that will stop the oils in your skin making your mascara smudge.

The best eye makeup remover I have ever used is Clinique’s Take The Day Off. I have converted all my friends who use makeup to wearing it. Nothing else works nearly as well for me. It gets EVERYTHING, and is gentle enough not to sting my sensitive eyes.

1) No easy answers – I check often and try to have a cotton bud in my handbag if I’m wearing full makeup! Try waterproof mascara (even if that means using different products on your lower and upper lashes) and apply minimally. If your lashes aren’t really light, clear mascara on the lower lashes might be sufficient. Also try not to put mascara on straight after eye cream or a creamy under eye concealer; better if the area is non-greasy. A touch of powder may help.
2) I find the best eye makeup removers are the clear oily ones – Clinique does a good one but if that’s not in your budget there are high street versions that do a good job. I’m in the UK – whatever the US equivalent of Boots would be a good place to start. Walgreens? If your eye makeup is really heavy duty; Vaseline.

1. Definitely agree with the others, you’re going to have to find a mascara that works for you. No suggestions other than that.

2. I use neutrogena make up removing wipes and then wash my face as normal in the shower. Usually gets all my eye make up off. If I’m wearing super heavy eye make up, I may have to get a q-tip with liquid make up remover to get the last bits of stuff off of the skin next to my lash line and if I’m wearing liner on my waterline, sometimes I have to take a q tip, damp with water, and wipe the waterline to get that off.

I’ve never had a problem with mascara smearing so I can’t help with that, but the best eye makeup remover I’ve found is Philosophy’s Just Release Me. You don’t have to scrub to get it all off just put a little on a cotton square and two or three swipes will get it all. And since you use so little each time, the bottle lasts forever.

I feel like I’ve tried every mascara out there, and for me the only ones that don’t end up doing this are tube mascaras. The formula they use is very different and shouldn’t smudge at all once dried, but is pretty easy to remove with warm water. Plus they’re great for added length. Definitely recommend giving one a try if you haven’t before! At the moment I’m using L’Oréal Double Extend because I blew my makeup budget on fancy new foundation, but if you google the term it should give you a bunch of examples.

Agree!! All other mascaras end up smudged all under my eyes, even if I only apply to top lashes. Been wearing the L’Oréal double extend for years. I don’t use the white side, only the mascara. I also find it easy to remove. I don’t rub it at all. I get my fingers wet with hot water and then just hold my lashes. After about 10 seconds, I can just slide the “tubes” of mascara off. I don’t even need any kind of makeup remover.

I second the rec for Neutrogena makeup removing wipes. I’ve tried other brand wipes and they always irritate my skin. Also tried cream and liquid removers to no avail, but I feel the Neutrogena wipes are far and away the best option.

I’m kind of old-school on makeup remover: I used Pond’s cold cream (lots of it), and a wet washcloth. It always melted my heavy stage makeup from when I used to do theater, and it works wonders for my much lighter everday makeup as well.

My solution is eye shadow primer (I like Tarte’s because it’s invisible) smeared on the eyelid and just below the eye, and waterproof mascara. It’s not perfect, but it helps a lot. I don’t know how people wear non-waterproof mascara on the regular, it just never works for me.

I am a minimalist with makeup so the products I DO use I have to love. I use waterproof mascara because I have watery eyes most of the year, thanks allergies. I don’t have the money to spend 40 bucks on it, so I use Covergirl Lash Blast Volume in the orange tube and I love it.

Coconut oil is the best makeup remover, and takes off even waterproof mascara easily. Just get a pea-size amount, rub it around on your closed eyes, then use a warm, barely damp washcloth to remove all the residue. It’s very satisfying!

Coconut oil breaks some people out, so use with caution. Rubbing the eyes can cause wrinkles as well.

How about a nice cleansing oil like Clinique’s or an offbrand one where you live? (Sorry, I live in Japan, so I have different brands here, but cleansing oil is super popular because everyone uses waterproof mascara etc. to survive the humid summers. Japanese mascara is great.)

Yes, I should have mentioned coconut oil isn’t for everyone. And obviously GENTLE rubbing is key.

I just can’t see spending real money on some branded oil when I can buy a whole huge jar of coconut oil (or a bottle of olive oil) for under ten bucks, AND it has other uses besides makeup removal. To each his own!

For me, part of it is application. I need to use a very light touch and go for multiple coats rather than having it pile on all at once. For non-smudge at Sephora, I love Benefit’s They’re Real for staying power. That stuff is like cement and it stays put through hot yoga. It does have a quirky brush that takes some practice. I also like Buxom’s just everyday black mascara. I can’t remember the actual name but the tube is black and just says “Buxom” on it.

For remover, I like garnier miceller water. I wear full makeup every work day, and I don’t like wearing makeup to yoga, but I don’t like washing my face before yoga, only to come home and wash it again. It’s a waste of product and it makes my skin really dry. So I use the miceller water to take my makeup off, then I shower after yoga and wash my face properly. The miceller water is also good for weekends when I just stay home and do nothing. And it’s only like $8!!

I’ve had the same problem and found Benefit’s Rollerball and They’re Real to have the least fallout on me (bonus -they come in brown!). For removing, Simple eye makeup remover wipes are good and convenient. I generally use Lancôme Bi-Facil Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover. I find the key is to press the pad against my lashes for 15 seconds to soften the mascara and then it comes off easier.

I use Shiseido products or Cetaphil to wash my face, but I often remove my eye make-up first with micellar water on a cotton pad. You can find it almost anywhere, it’s not expensive at all, it’s very gentle, and it removes make-up extremely well. (It’ll also take off all other make-up, so sometimes if I’m too lazy to wash my face I just remove all my make-up with it.

What I like about it is that it doesn’t leave any residue and there’s nothing else to wipe off after the make-up is dissolved, like with cleansing oils etc. (I do oil cleanse once in a while, too, as well as using it as a moisturizer in winter.)

What has always worked for me at least on under eye smudging is putting nothing there.
My aunt was a news anchor and said the best tip she ever got from the makeup team was to only apply liner/mascara to the top lid. With the mascara blink your eyes rapidly for 10-15 seconds immediately after you finish each eye and just enough (literally a tiny tiny amount) will transfer to the bottom. This has the added bonus of not clumping up bottom lashes while you’re applying. Liner only ever goes on the top unless you’re adding a tiny bit to the outer corner for a cat eye or wing.
I use a MAC mascara and Sephora liner (but only rarely on the liner because I’m not great at it!)

Well. I started this comment to say “A Semi-Charmed Kinda Life” – but I haven’t actually heard the song in ages, so I looked it up to be sure I remembered the name right and apparently the song is about a descent into the throes of crystal meth use, which is total news to me and about the opposite of what I was aiming for. (I’d have meant it in a positive manner, my everything is pretty amazing these days.)

So my book is titled “My Story is Not Done” and the chapter of my 30s is “Wicked Girls Saving Ourselves,” both titles of best-beloved Seanan McGuire songs.

There are a few clues throughout the song, like “I took the hit that I was given then I bumped again, then I bumped again…” and “Taking sips of it through my nose…” But I totally get not always paying attention to what you’re actually singing. Had no idea what Hotel California was really about for a long time! Just thought it was a song about an unlucky traveler back when I was in high school…

“In the middle, in the air, without tethers”.
(If that sounds both positive and negative to you, that’s because it is. I’m in a weird place in my life right now which I couldn’t describe as either good or bad.)

I feel like Les Miserables – “At the end of the day you’re another day older”

Okay so my life isn’t as bad as the poor people in France in the 19th century, but I just feel like I am dragging myself along, waiting for change (trying to find a new job before I get laid off from the one I have but hate anyway)…

Sorry do not mean to be depressing. Just been in a “down” place lately

Dating thread! Single people of AAM who are looking to be less single, how are you doing?

I’m in a very weird place where I both do and dont want to be seeing someone.

I do because I really miss having someone around to just…touch. I realised a few years ago I’m actually a very touch-y person and miss having any kind of physical contact with people. Damn Western Europe and its lack of physical affection! Spending time with my Spanish friends reminded me how much more affectionate people there are.

I dont because argh. People. I’m in a strange anti-social phase where the thing we dont talk about on weekends has been busy which means all I want to do in my free time is curl up in a blanket and watch bad TV.

Online dating is hard for me because I’m not conventionally attractive, plus I’m picky (I know the type of person I’m attracted to) and so looking endlessly at profiles starts to feel like the most frustrating shopping experience where you know exactly what it is that you’re looking for and none of the stores seem to have it. I should probably make more effort to do other social things and just meet more people, but that feels like a bit too much effort at the moment.

I’m in a transition part of life – first was a new job, then finishing my degree and before the end of the year another move into the city – so I’ve only been halfheartedly looking but it’s not going well. Most of the people who message me either are not my type or can’t string a sentence together. The ones I message never reply back.

I also miss being touched a great deal. When it reaches a certain point, I usually schedule a massage. It’s not the same thing obviously but it really help me feel better in a corporeal sense, like someone else can acknowledge my physical body, it reminds me somewhat of when you find a friend or a therapist who really listens to what you are saying, acknowledging your mind-life. It’s a non sexual massage just to be clear.

Great minds think alike, because I’ve also been pondering a massage. It would also be a practical thing because I’ve got back/neck issues anyway, but definitely an added bonus would be feeding the touch starvation..

I can’t say I have–I got dumped back in August, and while I tried to get back out there, I realized I didn’t feel ready, and anyway the guy I started seeing ended up in a serious relationship with someone else (this is a recurring pattern). So I’ve decided to go back to therapy and work on some of my hurt/not trusting people issues. I also just don’t believe that the romantic side of my life will ever work out, so it’s hard to want to keep putting in effort for the inevitable breakup when they realize they don’t actually want to be with me.

That sounds rough. I’m always a big advocate of working on yourself, so good to hear you’re going back to therapy! I sometimes wonder if tweaking my profile to come across as a bit ‘softer’ would help, but then I’m also like, thats…not really me? So motto of the story is hopefully we’ll both find people who actually want to be with us the way we are!

I’m in a pretty similar situation, actually. I’m trying online dating again after a break from it and it just sucks. I’m a bit apathetic about it to begin with, I’m at a point where I don’t mind being single but finding someone I really like would be a nice bonus, so to begin with I’m not putting in a ton of effort. It’s frustrating because the rare times I send messages I don’t seem to get replies and I’m very rarely interested in the people who send me messages. There’s so much misogyny and people who just want threesomes because I’m bi. Then so many of the messages are just straight up bad. And I’m also very picky, so that rules out a lot of options. Like I can’t stand beards but they’re all the rage right now. And I’m more attracted to women than men, but for every one non-straight woman there’s like 90 men. I think I just need to go out more.

Ugh yes, completely feel you on the effort side. I’m the same in that in the grand scheme of things, I’m pretty happy single. But it would definitely be nice to have someone around sometimes! And I can only imagine how frustrating it must be in your situation as well. One of my friends is gay and we were having the same discussion about how when the pool of people is already that much smaller to start with, it just makes it that much harder to find someone you click with.

Good luck on the going out more thing! I endorse it…from my couch…wrapped in blanket :’D

Dating as bi is so hard. I don’t think people understand how hard it is. I either get lesbians telling they’d never date a bi woman or men thinking my sexuality is sexy or that it means I’m up for a threesome.

I’ve actually been going to a lot of bi meetup groups just to deal with the irritation of how people treat bi people. It’s nice to know that I can be around people who also understand the struggle, but I know I’m lucky to be in a city that has a huge bi population and a lot of resources for it.

But I’ve had to exclude men from online dating apps when I want to date women because it’s like 98% men and after awhile they all sound the same. And a lot of the their profiles sound the same: “teaches me something new, smiles and laughs at my jokes, likes going out as much as staying in, gets along with my friends”. If I see those things one more time I’m going to scream, especially the part about smiling and laughing at jokes.

Your last point is so accurate. I swear you could take snippets from the profiles of 50 different straight men and pass them off as having been written by the same person. And every one you listed to me is a big “I want a woman to do all the emotional labor” red flag. I literally got a message from a man the other day comparing dating to real estate by saying I’d be less appealing the longer I stayed on the market and he wanted to put a “sold sign in my front yard.” Like what the actual effing year is it?

I should look into bi meetup groups though! I never realized that was a thing, but I live in Boston so I’d bet there are some around me.

Oh, I’m in Boston too! The Bisexual Resource Center is an excellent resource and they have a calendar and a meetup group for monthly resource events, social events, book clubs, and other things. They’re well-rounded with their approach to different identities.

But to your first point – I’ve found a lot of coded sentiments in how people fill out their profile. It’s a bit unsettling. I’m especially wary of any male profile who says something like “I’ll treat you right” or “I’m a nice guy” because that’s a huge red flag in my experience.

And I have such a long mental list of things that are man-specific dating site red flags it’s ridiculous. The self-proclaimed “nice guys” are some of the worst, since just including that shows they’re already on the defensive about how they act.

I am definitely not having better luck. I just moved cross-country for a job that has me predominantly working from home, to a small town. How the heck do you meet people in this situation? I tried Bumble, and no one was on it. HER, and no one was on it. I am seeing one girl, but I think we are better off friends. The biggest and the realest struggle is that I hate dating (guys are tools, girls are catty) but I want to get married and have kids one day, so I have to keep climbing.

Oof. Definitely tough when you’re in a small town. I’m the opposite in that I actually enjoy dating because I like meeting new people, but even that is currently a struggle in my reasonably large city :/

As you say though, just keep trying. Is there much in terms of social activities you can try to get involved in? I’m always of the belief that dating is just a numbers game, so basically casting as wide a net as possible both online and in RL to maximise the chances of meeting that person it will finally click with!

I am casting the net, but as much as I like having friends, I hate making them, haha. Going to every event they have that seems to have people my age who are still single sans kids. Spoiler: I’m finding people have kids or leave the city. It’s such a big problem the newspapers are covering it.

You said you like dating because you meet new people – are you finding the dates you go on are enjoyable but not repeat worthy? Do you get friendships out of them?

Haha, I hate making friends too! I also moved to a new city a year ago, and while I was lucky enough to meet a few lovely people within the first few weeks, I still definitely feel like my social circle isnt where I want it to be, hence why I’ll likely be back on the meetups in the next few weeks while work is quiet.

Re: dating: yes, I’ve met some perfectly pleasant people on dates but where there is no spark at all so not worth repeating. In the past I’ve made some friends out of them (although new city is proving to be harder on that front) and I always state on my profile that if we click and there is no romantic spark, I’m super happy to just make a new friend out of it.

Its funny because my approach – especially online – is that this is a medium to meet new people, so why not just meet someone and see how it goes (aka I have low expectations!). Lots of people seem put off by that for some reason!

I’m gonna put that in my profile, haha. But the last guy I told I wanted to be friends got SUPER RUDE….hopefully the girl I’m talking to right now will take it well, because we chat like besties but there is no romance – and I really, really want a local bestie!

After a flurry of online dating last November (4 dates with 2 different women in 4 days), I dated someone for 9 months. We just broke up. It’s too soon, but I think I’m going to go back to OKCupid. A friend is going on a date with someone she met through Tinder so I may give that a try although I’m not a visual person and don’t experience attraction on looks alone so that may not work.

IMO online dating takes work and time. It’s not easy, but it does work for people.

I’m all for the other options too, but I’m fairly active in activities I enjoy and I haven’t met a lot of potential dates that way; although, I have made some great friends.

Good luck with OKCupid! And as long as you’re honest with yourself/any potential dates about what you want/are ready for, there’s no wrong or right time to start dating again. Plus on a shallow note, its always a nice ego boost to get a few likes and messages to help get over a break up!

And as someone who has always avoided Tinder as well, multiple people have swayed me towards it recently. I’ve seen some profiles, and you can put a little blurb about yourself as well, so its not just pictures, so hopefully that will help you.

Hah. So much this. I had a great FWB situation some time ago which was so convenient. Every so often we’d see each other at the weekends and have this nice burst of someone who was genuinely interested in you and all the physical stuff too. And after that we’d say goodbye and go back to our own lives for another few weeks. Alas, moved countries, and have yet to find a suitable replacement.

That really seems to be what works best for me. We’re both clear on what we want, we live our own lives, there is no needy texting all day long and no hurt feelings.

The last one ended when the fella broke a cardinal rule: he started dating someone else (not an issue) and it got serious (still not really a problem) but neglected to tell her about his habit of getting together with me every week or so (big problem). That introduced a level of distrust I cannot look past. I don’t require much out of a FWB situation, but I do require honesty.

And yes, I’ve been doing a bit of thinking about what I would like in a relationship over the last few months, and for me being reasonably independent is super important. Likewise clear communication, which apparently is a lot harder to find than I would have expected…

Sadly, I am not. I’m like you — I find physical touch comforting. I lost about 30 pounds this year. I felt great. Went to a grad school open bar last night and was still a wallflower. Never felt more deflated.

I’m to the point where if it doesn’t happen, I don’t think it really ever will.

Obviously this advice is only relevant if you want it, but the hardest part I find is to just keep going. Keep that mindset of ‘I feel great’ and I often turn it around into: “I’m great, and these people obviously didnt recognise that, so I’ll just keep trying until I find people that do!” It might sound a bit self-centred, but I find it aids the thick skin that is required for the long slog of dating..

I just moved but am looking to date more than I was (I was living with family, and while I know I wouldn’t have had issues if I wanted to spend the night at someone’s house I just found the idea of dating while living with them too awkward). So I’m going to get more serious both about online dating and about doing other social activities where I can meet potential dates (not just to meet people to date, but things I’m interested in anyway). Gonna update my profile today (still says I’m in the wrong country) and figure out what I’ll have time for/what I’m most interested in doing over the next couple weeks.

I totally understand the wanting touch thing. I’m not real touchy feely day to day but man I miss cuddling. I’m both interested in starting dating again and like I don’t want to deal with the work of trying to find someone I’m interested in, I guess I’m too lazy.

I’m right there with you. I’m ok with being single because I can run my life how I want but I miss spending time with someone, a guaranteed dinner date, the snuggly bits etc. Plus I just turned 38 and I feel like people look at me and are like “you’re single? What’s wrong with you?” As well, I don’t want kids (and I’m almost too old to start having them anyway) and it’s annoying to think I could have been married four times by now if I was willing to pop out a kid or two.

I’ve been single for 6 years and it is the worst. Wait, strike that, online dating is the worst. I’ve tried it at least once a year every year and it just makes me even more depressed. In pretty much every other aspect of my life I’m successful, so the fact that I have no one to go home to is like a empty hole in my heart. And lots of my friends are in relationships.

In the last 6 years, I’ve probably met at least a thousand different men (through online dating, social events, being set up by friends, “putting myself out there”, etc). I know what I want, but the only men I’ve met that I am attracted to are already in serious relationships…

It doesn’t help that I’m ambitious and in an extremely demanding field (think 80+hours a week, so I don’t have a lot of free time), and that intimidates a lot of men. and YES I have time for the right person.

I miss touch. I agree with other commenters that massage is great for that, even though it just makes me sad–I have to pay to be touched :/ but I also have legitimate health issues where massage really helps.

Online dating is the worst! And I say this as someone who uses it way too often, I sometimes feel like it brings out the worst in me in terms of being stupidly picky about everything.

That sounds like a really tough spot. I think as you say, its just another example of the double standards in society, how does being a successful busy individual come off as intimidating?! To me thats a bonus because it means you probably have your life in order!

I’m not ready to date right now either (had an awful breakup in June) and I miss physical touch. I’ve been taking my time to get to know myself better and make sure that I’m giving myself everything I need before getting back out there.

What’s helping a lot is going social dancing. I prefer a scene where socializing is not required, YMMV depending on your local scene. Basically it’s a low-cost way to get some mutual affection and spend time with fun people. I’m very lucky that my scene has a low tolerance for creeps and sexual harassment. I’ve met some cool people and there are a couple different nights that I know I can go out weekly if I want. It’s nice having something regular on my schedule, and I get my fill of socialization and platonic affectionate touch without the pressure that a speed-dating/singles meetup event might have.

I posted a few weeks ago asking for advice about whether it was possible to straddle the boundary between long-distance friendship and romance with my former partner (long story short: we split up because I moved for grad school, citizenship and niche job markets will make it very difficult, although maybe not impossible, for us to live in the same city in the future).

Last weekend we had an unplanned heart-to-heart about how we still have a deep desire to be together and have a serious relationship, and tentatively explored what would need to happen in the next few months and years to make that possible. Former partner is currently in the middle of an international job search, but for various reasons is applying to more positions in my country these days. The ball is somewhat in their court as they would have to make the final decision about any job that they are offered (and its corresponding location), and accepting a long-term position in my country would mean living many thousands of miles from their family as well.

I’m still single/we’re not “back together” at the moment, but I’m cautiously hopeful that this may work out. The weird limbo will persist until they get a job, hopefully in the next few months. Although it’s unconventional, I feel so much better about the situation now that we’ve talked about it. I know they still love me, talking to them brings me joy, and we communicate well about difficult stuff like this. Even if it doesn’t work out, I won’t regret investing an extra few months to see if there’s a chance we can pull off the near-impossible. We’re going to meet in November and I’m counting down the days. Even though I didn’t exactly follow anyone’s advice, I’m grateful for the community here for being a sounding board and pushing me to figure out what I want out of this situation.

And also, solidarity to the other romantically struggling, touch-starved and/or fed-up-with-online-dating people out there <3 I was online dating for a few weeks in an attempt to distract myself or move on and …who boy…not fun. I'm taking a break from that for the time being, but best wishes to those of you who are trying it (it's how I met former partner, for the record :)

Yeah. Still very single. I tried the online thing (OK Cupid and JDate) and it didn’t work for me. I think it was a combination of being overwhelmed with messages from people who CLEARLY were just sending mass messages, and just not meeting the kind of person I liked.

It’s partly a numbers thing–there are just so few Jews. And dating is exhausting. And now I don’t have time because I’m in medical school soooo I guess I’ll be single forever? I dunno. I’m keeping my eyes open and hopefully once I settle in to a rhythm I can spend some weekends aggressively socializing in the nearby Big City in the hopes of meeting people. But dang that sounds tiring.

Oddly, I was really comforted when I remembered that if I don’t meet someone I like by the time I’m ready to have kids, I can have a child on my own. Like, physically, financially, I can make it happen. I mean, I’d prefer a husband, and TBH in all likelihood I’ll be able to find someone. But it just took away the anxiety of “but what if I can’t have a family???”

No better luck here. :P I’ve lived here for 17 years and I have not dated one single person who lives here (I had one bf for two years, and he was from another state). There is NOBODY. I’m disgusted as hell. I need to leave. Online dating is out–I tried it and didn’t find anyone that way either, because there is nobody here.

And I hear you about the touch thing. If I wanted to, I could probably go sit in a bar and pull a warm body, but it would likely not be a great one. A massage, as other people have suggested, sounds really good, actually. But I can’t afford it right now. If the universe doesn’t get its butt in gear (I poked it pretty hard), I don’t know what I’m going to do. Maybe lose it!

I’m in two relationships right now, and am still actively dating. It works for me and that’s what I want. (Gotta plug OkCupid, it’s the best!)

But for what you’re looking for, I’d suggest looking into a couple of things. Relationship Anarchy is a form of non-monogamy that maintains that relationships, romantic or not, sexual or not, can all equally be important. These are the types of people that have great friends who they cuddle and fall asleep with, and never anything else. Friends with benefits, casual lovers, etc. Any configuration is possible.

Another thing to look into and see if your area has is Cuddle Parties. It’s sort of more geared to practicing consent, but is also a great place to get cuddles!

Recently broke up with a fellow after a 7 1/2 year relationship…met on a blind date. I miss the close contact, too, but am lucky to have good friends who are great huggers, so that helps somewhat.

I tend to be a homebody, so have to push myself to get out and do stuff….and never regret it. I attend a singles dance monthly (a few couples who met there married), hike, shoot pool (either on my own or with my adult kids), travel, and such. I would love to go skeet shooting, but figure it might aggravate an old shoulder injury. Volunteer, go to farmer’s markets, festivals, etc. Tried the online dating thing, but just not me. Nice chatting with people online, but never turned into even one actual date, so rather depressing after the expense.

My husband and I will hopefully (finally!) be closing on a home we love in the next couple weeks. We are nervous and excited but we both agree the place is worth surviving the process of closing on a co-op.
One of the things I am excited about is that this place actually has a dishwasher. I have had one on and off throughout my life so I know how convenient it can be. My husband, however, is a little uncertain. The only real exposure he has had to dishwashers is the one his mother has, that is mostly collecting dust, and the crappy one I had in an apartment when we were dating. Every time he’s (at least knowingly) used dishes out of one he’s complained that everything tastes like the soap. So he is understandably reluctant.
So my question is, has anyone else experienced the issue my husband is having – being able to taste the soap? How were you able to work around it? And are there brands of soap that are better to use in this case (or ones we should absolutely avoid)?

Use less soap, maybe? I’ve used a zillion brands and never had a soap tasting problem from any of them, but I also use about a quarter of the amount they recommend. In my experience, with just about any detergent, a little goes a long way and the directions on the bottles frequently suggest like two or three times more than you actually need. I did an experiment in college with laundry soap – after washing a small load of clothes in the recommended amount of detergent, it took six plain water only trips through the washer before they stopped emitting soap residue into the water. Yack.

Also it could be an issue with the dishwasher itself if the it tastes like soap – not rinsing things well enough. Which based on the dishwashers you described, could be possible. I have a crappy dishwasher in my apartment – I quit using it after I could tell it was not actually doing a very good job cleaning things and dishes were soaking wet after I ran the entire cycle. i did jut realize since I never use it I could store pots and pans in there…hmmm…

I haven’t lived in places with hard water, but I know if your water is hard it may not rinse soap off very well at all. As in, there may almost always be a bit of a soap film. Could that have been causing his issue? If you feel like your hands don’t rinse off very easily at home when you wash them, look into getting a water softener. Or newer dishwashers probably have extended rinse cycles, that might also help, especially if you have it heat the water with a “sterilizing rinse” cycle, as the really hot water would probably do a better job.

Even back in the 80s, when my parents first got a dishwasher, I had never heard of dishes or silverware tasting soapy, and that’s probably because I grew up in NYC, where the water is really well balanced.

I use those dishwasher pods instead of liquid or powder. There’s a lot of tips online about how to clean a dishwasher. I recall most of them running it empty with vinegar. Maybe run a cleaning cycle once before using it.

Each time I’ve had problems with dish cleanliness, the solution was never about the dishwasher itself. First we got a whole-house filter to deal with the insane amounts of chlorine in our water, then we had neglected to clean the filter screen, and finally the dishwasher sensor board fried during a storm and we got a surge protector.

I had rinsing issues with the crummy old dishwasher that was initially in an apartment I had. (They replaced it shortly after I moved in; yay!) The soap I was using didn’t help either–some wash off better than others. I recommend the gel pack kind (I like the Cascade Platinum, and Target’s house brand equivalent works well) and using a rinsing agent if your soap doesn’t include one, and second the suggestions to clean the dishwasher occasionally. I’ve had no luck with the more earth-friendly soap brands, alas; they don’t work well and don’t rinse off well.

If there’s a food trap that you can open, make sure to clean it out too.

I am sorry, I know you are looking for personal stories. This might help, though? It is from the NIH, they tried to rebrand as systemic exertional intolerance. It is pretty readable. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK274235/

I am sure there are forums, probably a question of trying the different names and finding like minde people.

I’d thought I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for years and was finally diagnosed with fibro. I asked the rheumatologist about CFS because I fit the diagnostic criteria for it as well. He literally waved his hand and said they’re both really the same thing. And for me, they kind of are. Like Anonn says, if you want to hear from fibro people, let me know! Seconding The Mighty

Thank you for your replies. I do read The Mighty and I find it really useful to know I’m not alone in feeling the way I do. They have great tips and advice for managing day to day life also.

I really just wondered (out of curiosity) whether anyone here had a diagnosis too. I’m definitely up for hearing stories if anyone is up for sharing. Fibro and ME symptoms definitely overlap and I’m wondering whether I have Fibro myself as I’m dealing with quite a lot of pain. My other half has just procured me some crutches which I think will be a big help. I just need to get past my internal embarrassment and anxiety to use them on the days I’m struggling.

Seconding the WWI museum. I used to intern there. It’s such a great museum.

I’m a KC native, so here are my recommendations:

To do:
-WWI Museum

-Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. I especially recommend the Bloch galeries, full of impressionist paintings reopened last spring. They are exquisite. The museum is free.

-River Market (KC’s oldest farmers market). Parking can be tough, but we now have a free streetcar (!!) so I recommend parking near the WWI memorial and taking the streetcar north to the market. Most street parking is free anywhere downtown, with a few exceptions. There is a divine middle eastern restaurant in River Market, plus this fantastic coffee shop called Quay. So good.

-Shopping on the Plaza or Brookside. Mostly chain stores now sadly, but it’s a gorgeous area and is one of the oldest outdoor malls in the country.

-Loose Park (51st and Wornall) is one of the prettiest parks in KC. Plus there is a civil war battle site there.

-Boulevard Brewery tour (25th and Southwest Blvd). Even if you don’t drink, it’s super cool. If you do drink, you get some free samples in their beer garden.

-College Basketball Experience at Sprint Center + Power and Light (14th and Grand). Personally, I’m not a fan of P&L — nothing there is local, but it’s popular and helped revitalize downtown.

Food/Coffee/Drinks
-Tom’s Town Distillery (17th and Main). Microdistillery that makes their own vodka, gin, and bourbon. Seriously the best liquor I’ve ever had. The cocktails are great and the vibe is super laid back. It’s like stepping into a speakeasy.

KC has an amazing coffee culture. I recommend places like Second Best (a bit south at 84th and Wornall), Quay (4th and Delaware), Monarch (Knickerbocker and Broadway) and Parisi (Union Station or out south in Leawood).

Of course, BARBECUE. So many great places. There are the classics, like Jack Stack, but I really love Rosedale BBQ, and have heard great things about LC’s, Q39 and Woodyard.

Also, the Grunauer (Austrian food) is probably my favorite restaurant in town at the moment.

Please let me know if you have any questions!! KC is a fantastic town. I love it so much.

I’m not from Kansas City, but visited for a baseball game last summer and I must second Q39. We loved it! I had an awesome burnt ends sandwich (Mr. Burns if I recall correctly). Doubly awesome because it’s a bbq place that takes reservations rather than requiring you to stand in a line that wraps around the building.

I agree, the WW1 museum is incredible. We spent an afternoon there on our fist visit. Two days on our second visit and will probably budget a full day on our next trips. If you are okay with heights, the view from the tower is gorgeous. Thers is also a really cool historic train depot across the street.

I enjoyed touring Hallmark, the Nelson Adkins Museum has wonderful exhibit and World of Fun is great regional amusement park

If you are interested in nearby attractions, the Truman Presidential library and museum is in Independence Mo. I had the best burnt ends that I have ever had at a restaurant just across the street . It is called ‘A Little BBQ Place.

This is just curiosity not really an answer to your question–when people say they are going to “Kansas City” does it specifically refer to one of the two cities in Missouri and Kansas, or does it just refer to the whole area no matter which state it happens to be in?

I would say if you’re a local talking to a local, you would say where you lived – KCK(Kansas City, KS) KCMO(Kansas City, MO) or suburb or neighborhood specific like Leawood, Lenexa, Olathe, Roeland Park, Mission, Mission Hills(all on the Kansas side) or Brookside, North KC, The Northland(this is more a general area north of downtown but on the MO side), Lee’s Summit, Waldo, the Plaza(all on the Missouri side)
But I don’t bother telling non-locals or friend’s back home where I live. They already don’t understand flyover states lol! I just say Kansas City, Missouri(I do say the state because we used to live in north central Kansas before moving to the suburbs on the Kansas side of Kansas City and then finally buying a house in the suburbs of KCMO, not that that isn’t confusing or anything!)
We also used to live on the Kansas side of KC that was only 2 miles from the state line, so we actually frequently shopped in Missouri, because Kansas has a higher sales tax and the liquor laws are screwy in KS.
I will say though that there are more attractions on the MO side, so if a tourist is coming to Kansas City, they’re likely staying in MO. The Kansas side is more businesses and suburbs IMO. Still great! But not as likely to have tourists. Unless you’re visiting Ikea, which is right in the center of the KS side suburbs(all the heart eye emojis haha!)

I was born in KC MO but I haven’t lived there since I was seven. I’m convinced if my parents hadn’t decided to move back to my mum’s hometown of Mayberry (not its real name), my life would have been WAAAAAAAAAAAY different.
Come to think of it, I need to ask her what the f was up with that.

So! I have a little mini “staycation” with the house all to myself. I’m just not really sure what to do with it. I’m still on night shift schedule, so there’s not a whole lot to do around where I am – by the time I’m up and dressed and the coffee’s gotten through my system, everything fun is either closed or about to close. Except maybe the movies, but honestly I don’t want to go to those anyway. I’m not exactly rural, but not exactly in a major city. More like a big, somewhat expensive chunk of suburbia.

Any suggestions for things to occupy myself for a few days would be appreciated!

Are there any late night clubs or improv shows? Or local theaters? (Even college/local community theater)? Most shows start at 7-8pm. And a friend of mine is an in improv troupe and their show does not start until 10pm.

Or…gaming groups or other types of meet-ups? There is a pub trivia that meets near me – they start at 7 and usually end at 9pm.

I second this. I see a number of comedy/show options in my city (maybe not a suburb option) that I’d love to go to but they start too late for this day shifter. Dance parties and musical performances too.

I see these announcements on Facebook so I think it’s a matter of finding the places that have later shows and looking at their schedule.

I second the recommendation for a nice meal (this can be breakfast too–a popular weekend brunch place near me has great weekday breakfast with no wait). Elaborate cooking projects that would be annoying with someone else in your hair can also be fun.

Otherwise, I tend to spend my house-to-myself time eating junk food my husband hates (cheese balls!!!!), watching TV shows I’m the only one watching, and maybe tackling some kind of organizational project I want to have a few days to get right. Not necessarily a big party, but honestly, just having the house to myself is awesome enough to compensate.

If you were like me you might have thought if this already, but reading. For something like this I’d pick up a few books that I plan to read over my stay-cation. I also might read in unusual places – coffee shop, a park.

So I signed up to be in the student showcase for friends and family at my aerial studio. I started there mid-October of last year and the performance is the first Saturday of November. I’ll be doing an aerial hoop (lyra) combined with hula hoop for my own routine.

Can I say I’m pretty darn terrified? I used to do piano recitals as a kid and I really didn’t like them. I was super shy and was nervous every time. I keep flashing back to those days.

My song’s only about 3 minutes long, but I need to choreograph it and figure out how to work hula hooping tricks (and figure out what to do when I inevitably DROP the hoop) and costuming and… argh! Plus performing is NOT my thing? But I feel like I’ve grown so much in the time I’ve started going that I need to do this.

I did my first aerial performance (static trapeze) in May, after about a year and a half of weekly lessons. I’m an anxious person and not a natural performer, so I felt a lot like you. But it ended up being a really good experience! It was a good way to engage with the art in a way that’s different than normal lessons, be creative, and feel proud of the things I had worked hard to learn.

Some of the things that helped me feel more confident were getting the choreography set as early as possible so I had plenty of time to practice the whole act and smooth out transitions, not including any tricks that I had only just mastered or felt nervous about, and putting the hardest tricks early in the act.

Don’t knock yourself, three minutes is long when you’re performing, especially if it’s a solo!

When I choreograph a piece, I like choreographing/practicing after class – that way I know I can do the moves even when I’m already tired. I feel like muscle fatigue after working out mimics any muscle trembling you may have from stage fright/nervousness.

Also, I recommend working out a few spots in your piece where you can “rest” – maybe a hold you’re comfortable in, or a place where you stand and do body rolls, etc. Or maybe your transition from hoop-to-hoop?

If you’re worried about dropping your hula hoop, practice dropping it and finding ways to pick it back up/get it back to where you need! That way the recovery options are already in your body so if it happens live, your body can take over :)

Hope this helps! You’re going to have so much fun and be so proud of yourself.

I am an aerial instructor. What I always try to get students to remember when preparing for a showcase is that everyone in the audience is already on your side and wants you to do well. They don’t care if you make a mistake as long as you keep going. If you drop your hula hoop, just stay calm, pick it back up, and restart. Smile if that fits the mood of your routine.

Yep yep yep. Skating, too. I never ever heard an audience laugh at a skater who fell, or say anything other than a small sympathetic “Ooooouuuch,” if it was a particularly hard fall. They only cared that the skater was okay.

I’m super sad that a restaurant I’ve been frequenting for almost 3 years is shuttering. It’s the only place that serves breakfast that’s in walking distance of where I work. I’m hoping the employees find jobs quickly. But hopefully I’ll be able to go on Sunday and spend my last dollar and change on my gift card and say thank you to the people there. (It’s the only location in the area, so I either spend it or kinda lose it.) But the question is… what do I get as a “last meal”?

Prolly a half soup half salad for eat there(there’s a combo) and maybe a half my fave sandwich for dinner after work.

Then I need to see if I can close my rewards account and possibly see about getting my data purged from the company’s system…

Wonderful people of aam, I’m hoping you have some ideas. I have a wedding to go to next weekend, knee length dresses, and a nasty almost-scar thing on my calf. It’s bright pink and totally visible through opaque nylons (which, by the way, feel awful to wear). Is there a way to cover it up? I was sort of thinking I could put a bandage over it, but my skin really dislikes adhesive…

Maybe makeup? For a while I had white clown makeup that I would blend with a liquid foundation to cover hickies; the clown makeup both made the foundation stick better than a regular concealer and made it match my skin tone (my liquid foundations always came from my grandmother and were a couple shades too dark). The clown makeup was cheap Halloween stuff. If you go with a regular concealer, make sure it’s oil-based. Or you could get cool patterned tights to break up the look of the scar.

I’m pretty sure there are a couple make up products that are designed to cover scars. I think Dermablend makes some concealers specifically for non-face regions, and I’ve had good luck with their products so far.

Slightly off topic- did you know that Cassandra Peterson (aka Elvira) burned 30% of her body when she was a young girl? She was one of the youngest showgirls in Vegas in the late 60s/early 70s, and she would spend 2 hours before each show covering her burn scars with makeup.

Are the dresses the only options? If you have an outfit that looks dressy enough with pants or a jumpsuit, IMO you could go with that. You’d want to glam up the jewelry, hair, etc to make it clear you were still treating the occasion as special–but it’s possible.

There’s a spray-on tattoo cover body makeup called Bairly Sheer. I use it to cover a scar on the back of my leg. There are several shades to choose from, and I have the two closest match on hand to ensure a seamless camouflage. It’s high-density, and covers my scar when I wear shorts or skirts. I think it will be more than adequate, especially since you’ll wear stockings on top of it. There’s also an accompanying setting powder and setting spray.

We have a problem with sketchy house flippers in our area, and at community meetings folks from the county government are always repeating ‘if you see construction work without a permit, report it!” etc. So the years-vacant house next door got sold finally to a flipper who came out and started major demolition and rebuild -of course without permits. I warn the guy and his crew, hey, you got to get permits for this or the county will come down on you. They say thanks and keep working. Weeks pass, no permits, and the rebuild looks really shoddy. So I took a couple pictures of the work standing in my yard (they’re right next door, after all), and reported them.

Soon STOP WORK orders are slapped on the door and inspectors are all over the place. They come by every few days, the crew tries to work in the evening and weekends to get around them, which we tell the inspectors that are now knocking on my door, too. Work stops for weeks, and the house looks worse than ever – the yard is waist high plants, debris everywhere, siding falling off. I’m a lazy homeowner myself, but seriously guys. I assume the project has been abandoned, again.

One day it looks like permits have gone up, and a woman is in their front yard taking pictures. Standing in my yard, I ask if she’s the new owner, and she says she’s the wife of the flipper, assessing what needs to be done. I say ok and walk off to do something else. 30 seconds of professional polite interaction and I don’t think anything more about it.

Now the flipper says I’m harassing and spying on him with the pictures, trying to cause him harm with the county folks for reporting him (which the county said you’re supposed to do!), and threatened legal action. All I wanted was permits done for the major work I’d have to live next door to (gods forbid shoddy work burns down or something). Darned if you do, etc. Joys of home ownership.

I thought the same thing. He got permits up, which is all I wanted out of it. Hopefully the house flips quick and he moves on. I’ve already cleaned up vandalism and litter at the property when it was sitting vacant before, I just want someone to live there.

At the next town meeting I am. He sent it to me in a text message because I gave him my number when we first met, in case he needed anything. Good neighbor, etc. Oh well. I just hope the house sells and doesn’t burn down.

TL;DR – Carol Dweck’s work on mindset may be applicable in more fields than just education.

Yesterday’s discussions around the letter from the person whose coworker used the r-word reminded me strongly of a concept I’d learned about in grad school but hadn’t connected more broadly to the world. There was a comment that stood out so strongly in my mind, someone asking what word they ought to use to insult someone, and there was some discussion around the word “stupid” and perhaps not insulting people.

It all reminded me so strongly of Carol Dweck’s work on mindset. In an education context it is could be broadly described as students who believe that intelligence is a static trait (fixed mindset), and students who believe that intelligence is more malleable (growth mindset). Not surprisingly, students with a growth mindset tend to do better in school.

Some of Dweck’s work was on morality in small children, do they think “goodness” is static and innate or something that can change. I hadn’t really connected it to adults until now. But when I hear comments like, “They are stupid”, or, “They are an a*hole”, I get upset. To me, what the commenter is saying is that the person is fundamentally flawed and could not change that. Perhaps that’s not exactly what they meant, at least not on the surface. But we all have unconscious beliefs that influence our thoughts and feelings and “they are…” phrasing makes me think that a fixed mindset is driving those comments.

I can only speak about what I see in US culture, but I think that this mindset idea underlies some serious issues. Certainly in education, students with a fixed mindset are afraid of challenges and don’t like to take risks, which hampers learning. But it goes further than that. If you think that morality is innate and can’t be changed, then criminals are bad people and won’t be able to change their ways, so why bother with rehabilitation? I’m reminded of the recent letter with the woman who stole the jacket from the intern, and may have stolen the intern’s credit card as well. The letter writer was adamant that her friend was a good person, and seemed to be having difficulty reconciling her beliefs about her friend with her friend’s actions.

Anyways, just some thoughts that had been percolating. I didn’t mean for this post to be so long. If you’re interested in Dweck’s work she has a really good book that’s written for a general audience (less psych jargon, more practical applications) called “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success”.

I’m a big fan of Dweck’s work and agree, it’s useful in many situations. An example: the whole “introverted/extroverted” dynamic. People will cite being an introvert as a reason for doing/not doing something they are supposed to do. My brother was actually arguing he couldn’t take a particular position at his workplace because he’s an introvert and it’s “unfair” of the company to expect him to work around people. I told him to suck it up buttercup, and that while he might have introvert tendencies, that’s not a life sentence. He said I was denying his identity. I then sent him Carol Dweck’s website. He’s ignoring me now.

I’m wondering if there is something in our culture, some narrative, that pushes the idea that we ARE a certain way, and that change is futile/impossible. Certainly when I was growing up I was told that I was smart, and gifted, which made me a risk-averse student. I see the same trends in many of my students (and, unfortunately, many professors). But your example with your brother just highlights how pervasive it seems to be. You are totally right that just because someone has introvert tendencies doesn’t mean they can’t work with people. How often do we think of our personality traits as fixed, when they mostly are not?

Oh, this is a really interesting topic, and I really liked Mindset. It relates to my notion that currently in our culture we’re falling strongly toward binaries rather than gradations and perceiving a vast uncrossable gulf in the middle. I don’t just mean politically–I mean also what you’re saying, in that if your friend is a good person they don’t become a bad person, no matter what they do, because bad people are the people on the other side of the gulf.

Though it seems like what you’re saying is really not so much an objection to the word “stupid” as to the word “are”–that “You are smart” has the same problem as “You are stupid”–which dovetails interestingly with the studies that suggest praise of an inherent characteristic is less effective with kids than praise of their performance or behavior.

But in counter, I note that when I refer to something as “stupid” or somebody as an idiot I almost always mean it in that temporary way despite using the state of being verb–it’s somebody who just did something that’s a problem rather than a judgment on their overall personhood. (I’m also not sure it would be that much of an improvement for people to yell “You’re being an asshole!” rather than “You asshole!” at somebody in traffic.)

I think my objection to the word “stupid” is a bit of not liking the word and a bit tied up with the mindset idea. I do think there’s a difference in referring to someone as an a*hole when driving (which I do, with no remorse, though not where they can hear me) and insulting someone you know and work with and labeling them as “stupid” or “idiotic”. I don’t know the other driver, will probably never see them again, and wouldn’t know if I did. I’m not really passing judgement on them as much as I am venting my frustration and then forgetting about it. But too often I’ve seen classmates, coworkers, and sadly, educators, label someone they know/work with/teach with negative characteristics, in a more fixed mindset way.

I think the studies on praise are fascinating. Whenever I hear people label millenials as “fragile” or other things that suggest a sensitivity and resistance to criticism I am reminded of those studies. Depending on where the generation starts I may be on the older end of millenials, and growing up I was very sensitive to criticism. I was pretty much always praised for being smart, not because it was anything I did, but because it was who I was. So when I failed, or anything I did wasn’t perfect, I felt like I was being criticized. I think that a lot of people in my generation were praised for supposedly innate characteristics, which tends to foster a fixed mindset. If you have a fixed mindset, you don’t believe that you can get smarter, so if you do something poorly, you are bad at it and that probably won’t/can’t change. And let’s face it, millenials did not raise themselves, so all of the older generations who are criticizing the flaws millenials have ought to take a look at who raised us and how our upbringing might be contributing to said flaws. Did my parents do the best they knew how when raising me? Absolutely. But it means that older generations should maybe do a bit of reflection as well.

This might be the weirdest possible comment to go with this post, but I actually got a tattoo of the exponential growth function on my foot after work Monday, because 1 it’s math and 2 I really agree with this growth mindset.

This weekend it’s cool enough to make the house fragrant with homemade soup.

Columbus Day weekend the colors should be perfect for a day trip that includes stopping at an “Art in the Orchard” event. I LOVE public art, and the apple products this orchard has available for purchase are YUMMY…

Toward the end of the month, there are a few lighted pumpkin displays – I’m planning to make at least one!

LOVE Fall! The cool nights, brisk days, beautiful colors of the changing leaves. When I lived closer to a forested area I’d take lunch and a book and hike out far enough to hear no sounds of civilization and then just spend a few hours literally listening to the sound of the leaves falling, and the little critters moving through the dried leaves on the forest floor. So relaxing.

Also fall baking. Apple cider and pies and breads. All good comfort foods. I go hiking more in the fall than the spring or summer.

It’s unfortunately still warm and muggy in New England (though today is a rare cool day before it goes back to the 70s this week), so I’m waiting impatiently for the weather to get to the 40s so I can wear fall clothes without being uncomfortable.

I love fall as well! I enjoy decorating for the season, driving around the arboretum to see the changing leaves, making lots of soups and stews, going to the festivals and gorging myself on apple cider donuts and caramel apples, and then there’s Halloween, arguably the best holiday ever! I only wish fall didn’t end and become winter because that’s my least favorite season.

I like Halloween. I also like wearing sweaters and boots. And scarves—I wish I could wear them year-round, but unless I’m inside in the summer ALL day, it’s just too blasted hot here. It’s funny–I never used to like them but now I have a serious scarf habit. (I just counted and if you include a pashmina, a few winter scarves and two small ones I only wear in my hair, I have 37. I might have a small problem, LOL.)

After months of dithering about wanting to take a trip in November, but being unable to decide where to go, I finally booked tickets! I’m going to be doing a few days in Paris and a few days in Amsterdam. Two cities I’ve really wanted to go to, with plenty on indoor activities since the weather might be kind of crappy at that time of year. If anyone has any suggestions/advice/stories for either I’d love to hear them!

We just got back from our first trip to Paris. Found value in purchasing a museum pass (not to be confused with the Paris pass, which is different) because we skipped the lines. I suppose it depends on how many museums you would like to see. They have a 2 day, 4 day, and 6 day pass. I loved the Louvre, the D’Orsay, the D’Orangerie. The Memorial de la Shoah was moving. My partner enjoyed the Army Museum. The best times were spent just having coffee and people watching and exploring the different neighborhoods. Have a great time!

If you’re into the slightly macabre, Paris has a great catacombs that’s just incredible to see. And it’s undergroubd, so bonus in crummy weather! I second the Musée d’Orsay. IMO it’s more accessible than the Louvre and it has some awesome sculpture, especially Rodin.

Amsterdam was amazing. The Van Gogh museum is brilliant (I recommend prebooking the first tickets of the day and starting with the first floor – the ground floor exhibits work just as well at the end of your trip, and if you start with the first floor, you’re ahead of most of the crowds. The museum of bags and purses in herengracht was really cool (and off-beat) and the maritime museum was also really interesting. If you get good weather, Artis (zoo, aquarium, and botanical gardens) is worth a visit, especially with kids – the aquarium has an amphibariam in the basement with all sorts of toads and frogs and newts etc.

In Paris, the Orsay and Orangerie are the most accessible museums with great guidebooks, informative text, and art that most people will recognise, the Louvre has some fantastic stuff, but is usually super busy – the best time to visit is late in the day (admission is reduced price after a certain time) or in their evening opening (Thursday and Friday, I think?). The Ile St Louis has some great restaurants. Sainte Chapelle has gorgeous stained glass, the Musee de l’homme is better than you might think, and the Fondation Louis Vuitton has a really cool building and an interesting exhibition programme.

Oh yay! Congrats! This is exciting :D My first trip to Paris & Amsterdam (also done in the same trip!) was in November when I was 8—we skipped Thanksgiving that year :) Yay for off-season travel. I actually went to Paris this July. I used the Rick Steves Paris book on my mom’s recommendation (insistence?), and I was not disappointed! If you’re interested in a guidebook, that one’s worth it. In addition to the usual recommendations, it explains how all the different metro tickets, museum passes, etc work—and there are a lot. There are audio tours you can download for your phone through him as well, though I didn’t use them.

Things to do in Paris: sewer museum*, Musée d’Orsay (lovely and reasonably sized!), the Louvre… Île de la Cité has a lot of cool historical things, including the Archaeological Crypt. I found Versailles’ grounds more impressive than the main palace. I do have to put in a good word for Galleries Lafayette because I was able to buy bras that actually fit me!!! And if you’re on Île St. Louis, Cafe Med serves AMAZING food. REALLY good.

*Yes, it’s smelly, but it’s also really interesting. Makes you think about infrastructure!

Others have mentioned various museums in Amsterdam, but don’t forget the Rijksmuseum. Download their app in advance and you can do the audio-tour (or get audio commentary on many of the art pieces without doing a tour) without paying €5 for the player. It’s a huge museum and you can spend hours in there.

If you have time to do a side trip to Delft, it’s a wonderful town and they have a couple of great museums there: Vermeer Centrum (about Vermeer’s life and painting techniques) and Royal Delft (museum/factory for Delft earthenware). It’s about an hour from Amsterdam by train. Links in reply.

Finally, don’t forget many museums aren’t open on Mondays (the Rijksmuseum is an exception).

I love both Amsterdam and Paris. Be sure you have waterproof shoes; I have a pair of lightweight hiking shoes from REI that are great on the feet and waterproof and they are invaluable in winter in these cities where, while it doesn’t get all that cold or usually snow, it showers often. In Amsterdam you can do the canal boat trip in the rain if necessary as the boats are covered.

Be sure to get reserved entries for the Anne Frank Huis if you want to visit; there is always a long line and the place is tiny. In addition to the Van Gogh and Rijks Museums there is the Hermitage which contains collections from the famous St. Petersburg Hermitage; we saw things we had only seen in textbooks as they have not been in the west in my lifetime.

Amsterdam is famous for Indonesian rice table and the restaurant we like is Kanjil et Tijger. We prefer not to get the rice table which is full of loads of dishes we don’t care for (cheap bulky cabbagy things) and a few great things. We like to go there and order half a dozen dishes that we actually want and this is one restaurant where you can do this; lots of the places are very tourist trappy and make it hard to economically order anything except the full rice table. We also love Dutch food. See if you can find a traditional restaurant with stamppot (mashed potatoes and kraut with sausage) and snert (traditional pea soup) if that appeals to you. They have lovely bar snacks too – bitterballen (potato/meat fritters) and toasties (grilled open face cheese.)

Wonderful and beautiful city any time of year.

Paris – well it is a great winter city. The opera is in full swing and we always try to go to at least one opera at the Bastille house. The shopping ‘passages’ make a nice showery day stroll as you can easily get from one to another without spending a lot of time outdoors.

We went to a restaurant for our big blow out meal this spring called L’Initial in the 5th near the river and Notre Dame. Their 48 Euro 7 course meal was spectacular and a real bargain for that price.

Paris is of course full of museums and other indoor venues. If you want to climb the Eiffel Tower I would get tickets ahead; you risk it being a rainy day but we went in the rain and it was actually quite beautiful (and not crowded – we wouldn’t have had a line that day. Those are the risks of buying ahead.

Moeders on the Rozengracht does great traditional Dutch food. Just walking around the Jordaan and the canal ring is great. You can rent bikes, but that’s quite pricey – we had to put down a 50 euro cash deposit per bike on top of the rental. You can take free boats across the IJ to the islands, which is fun. If you want to splash out for a really good meal, the Print Room in the Ink Hotel is excellent! And if you like booze, then the Bols museum/tour is supposed to be good fun.

If you don’t get the Museum Pass and want to avoid the hellacious line at the Orsay, the newsstand out front sells tickets for cash and you can then walk into the ticketed door which won’t have a line at all in November. The main line may also be short then but it has been our experience that the Orsay is reliably the worst line besides the Eiffel Tower in Paris. If you love the impressionists don’t miss the Marmottan Museum which has the painting that named Impressionism i.e. Impression Sunrise by Monet and lot of other Monets.

In Paris the Musee Rodin is a wonderful smaller museum (the Thinker is there). Check out Shakespeare & Co and the restaurants in Saint Germain des Pres. Also don’t forget Pere Lachaise, the cemetery. In Amsterdam make sure to take a canal tour and watch out for the cyclists; I loved Amsterdam, but it’s the least pedestrian friendly city I’ve visited yet.

I am convinced I will meet my end in Amsterdam; between the cyclists and the trams and they all seem to run on the same paths, we have had lots of close calls. They are all separated and locals know where the separations are, but we have trouble knowing when we are in the bike path or tramway or where cars travel or where we can safely walk. We are like two dithering old people when we need to cross a street. But Amsterdam is so beautiful it is worth it.

Thabk you to everyone who commented on my question last weekend about how to make lattes at home. So many good tips! Hillariously, my problem was that the battery in my milk frother was about dead, and I didn’t realize it because I had never put a fresh battery in (just used it right out of the box). So I put a new battery in and WOW I didn’t realize the milk frother could spin that fast!

I used to have the same problem. Batteries. I never ran out (I always keep a good supply of batteries on hand), but I hated the idea of throwing batteries in the trash (they’re toxic), and taking them to the recycling center was a PITA.

So I got a Froth Wizard on Amazon. It’s manually operated and creates mountains of froth. I love that thing. Batteries are now a non-issue. I’ve had mine for two years now, and it still works great. Only caveat would be that if you have arthritis in your hands, it’s probably not a great idea for you. It doesn’t take much strength or manual dexterity to us it, but you have to pump it up and down quickly, and that could be a problem for some.

I am always looking for new authors so will try Casey. I just started another author Fred Vargas and am really disappointed. Halfway through and it is one of those convoluted serial killer deals where the protagonist is somehow the obsession of the sadistic murdered and the murderer is trying to frame the detective. Hate it when they are eating their own from the git go.

Have enjoyed ML Longworth’s Verlaque and Bonnet stories set in Aix en Provence, but alas have finished them — there are 6 or 7. Also finished the Bruno series by Martin Walker set in the Dordogne. Was hoping Vargas would be in that class, but not so far.

I like Jane Casey’s books a lot (she’s actually Irish, not British, though her detective Maeve Kerrigan is a Londoner with Irish parents). I’ve just finished The Blood Card by Elly Griffiths. It’s the latest in her Stephens & Mephisto series set in 1950s Brighton and I really enjoyed it.

Right now I’m reading an incredible book by N.D. Wilson called Outlaws of Time: the Legend of Sam Miracle, about a boy who died a thousand times and has snakes grafted into his arms so he can save his sister. I love it!

I’ve been reading some Sophie Kinsella e-books from the library. I don’t like the Shopaholic series, but the other ones are better. I’ve felt like reading some light fiction and these have fit the bill.

I recently finished The Mirror Thief by Martin Seay. It’s gotten some pretty extravagant praise, so I had high expectations. The writing was good, and the three storylines were interesting enough, but it’s certainly not at an Umberto Eco level of narrative complexity, as some claim. I actually debated abandoning halfway, but decided to push through.

My landlord is being a real pill. We have rented from her for two years, with the plan that we would buy the house from her when we are able to get a mortgage. I told her in May that we spoke with someone at the mortgage company, and that person told us that we shouldn’t bother applying until my husband has been employed for two full years (some of you may remember that he was out of work for 7 months in 2015/2016 after we moved and his first job offer was rescinded because his former employer would not provide a reference; they only provide dates of employment and the employee’s final pay rate). I told her that his two-year anniversary at his current employer is not until April 2018, so she was aware that it will be some time before we put things in motion.

Yesterday, out of the blue, we get an envelope from her in the mail. It had a purchase agreement in it. Now, I am not mad about that. We’ve been thinking about asking her to do one, as it would protect us from having her change her mind about letting us rent until we are ready to buy. It says to sign and return by 9/30–less than one day, considering the mail doesn’t come until around 4:00 in the afternoon. She listed a purchase price that is about $30,000 too high for this house and this neighborhood. The packet also included a “market analysis” of comps that she must have pulled from real-estate websites (she did all the work, not a real-estate professional). Our house is either 889 or 1,144 square feet (the lease says it’s 1,144, but the tax assessor’s office says 889, so there’s either a mistake somewhere or the previous owner did work that was not permitted, which will be a problem at some point). We have two bedrooms and two bathrooms. All but one of the “comps” has three bedrooms. The square footage on the “comps” ranges from 1,016 to 1,948, but four of the seven are 1,300 or more. The best part is that she offered us a $50 repair allowance for repairs arising from the inspection, and $0 for paint or carpet. So generous!

I called her immediately and told her that this is not a $138K neighborhood, nor is it a $138K house. If I wanted a mortgage for almost $140,000, I’d go three miles from here and get a much nicer house with a yard that doesn’t need to be cleaned up and landscaped, or maybe a house with a cement or paved parking area (we just park in our yard). She fell all over herself to tell me, “Oh, I don’t know anything about this. People were telling me it’s just a starting point and you need a price so that you can apply for a mortgage.” That’s true, but why would I sign a legal document with a price on it that I am not willing to pay? And why only give us ONE day to read it and sign it?

Now, I realize she is doing us a favor by letting us rent until we can get a mortgage, so I am not complaining about her in that respect. I just think she’s being foolish. She thinks she’s going to get a big windfall out of this house, and I am fairly sure she’s mistaken. I’ve looked at actual comparable properties, and they’re selling for an average of $107K. Plus, the whole point of buying from her was that it was going to be a lower price because we already live here and aren’t going to nickel and dime her on things like chipped paint or small things that a buyer off the street would probably insist she fix. If she insists on asking for $138K, we’ll just move, and she can let the house sit on the market for months.

* Yes, I realize $138K for a house is really low compared to places like CA and NY, and I am grateful that we live in a low-cost-of-living area, but I am not going to pay nearly twice the average price per square foot for the house. If I was in NYC, I wouldn’t pay $4,000 a square foot when the average is around $1,700, either, unless the place was spectacular or had some feature I couldn’t find elsewhere.

This is where you negotiate. Of course, don’t sign that document. Do your own research. Heck, call up some local realtors and ask them to come out and give you an estimate on how much the home is worth. It’s a no-strings situation on a realtor estimate – you owe them nothing for their estimate, and you’re not obligated to ever talk to them again.

Then talk to your landlady. Tell her what you told us, that her “estimate” (WAG, really) is much too high and that if she puts the house on the market with that asking price it will sit for months unsold, all the while she’ll be reaping no rental income from it. Not good for her financially, is it?

Don’t be afraid to negotiate, to talk to her, to offer more realistic numbers. What have you got to lose? If she wants you out, you’re out anyway. So talk to her, stay calm, offer more realistic numbers, and don’t sign anything. Who knows, she may actually see reason.

I called her as soon as we got the agreement. I actually wish I’d waited, as I hadn’t looked at her “comps” yet. I told her this is not a $138K house or neighborhood, and that I was thinking closer to $105K. I specifically said that if I wanted to pay $138K, I’d go three miles down the road and buy a nicer house that doesn’t need any work. She seemed okay with it, but I am not going to trust that she will be okay with it when we’re ready to buy. I emailed our mortgage person and asked her how much we’d qualify for; if we can qualify for that much, we’ll just go buy a house elsewhere.

I’d find another house to rent now and get away from this loon. Buying a house is a great way to destroy your financial security unless you are already in great shape and the house is likely to appreciate.

If I saw a house as an investment and not a place to live, I’d agree, but I don’t. Our mortgage payment would be $20 more than we pay in rent, we’d be able to do whatever we wanted in terms of paint, flooring, and landscaping, and we would not be at the mercy of someone who could throw us out at any time. Our last landlord sold our house, and we ended up stuck with an absentee landlord who didn’t fix anything, including the cracked sewer pipe in the basement. I never want to be in that position again.

A house is a giant money pit — anything that breaks you have to replace or fix. Homeowners insurance is a lot higher than renters etc etc. The added costs of home ownership are well beyond the mortgage costs. It can be great, but if you are close to the bone with your budget it can destroy you.

I think everyone should buy less house than the mortgage company says you can buy. My husband and I were approved for an ABSURDLY high amount and bought a house that was half the mortgage we could have gotten. As a result, we can do things like re-do our hardwood floors, replace doors, improve the yard, buy furniture, without struggling. It is a blessing. We also bought in an “emerging area” aka the crime rate is higher than in other areas BUT our city is super-low crime anyways, so we feel ok with this. And the area improves daily and our house is, 2 years later, worth more than 200k what we paid. But the market here is crazy and we don’t count on that. I plan to die in this house, so this is a long-term investment for me.

Late reply, but you can also make a counteroffer with language that if the house appraises low, you get to make a new offer or back out, no penalty. Because say you did offer $138k and got a $133k mortgage, but the house appraised at $100k. The bank isn’t going to lend you $133k for a $100k house so you’d have to make up the difference. If neighborhood comps are really that low, your appraisal will come in low.

I need advice on dealing with a careless roommate. We own our house and rent one of the bedrooms to a friend. He is very nice and we get along well, but there’s a big problem.

He has lived with us for about a year. He frequently leaves doors and windows unlocked or even open when he leaves the house. Once last year, he left the front door open and the stove on full blast when he left for an overnight. In the past two weeks, he has left the back door open twice when he has left the house.

Every time it happens, he apologizes profusely. But it keeps happening again! Sooner or later something bad or terrible will happen. If someone breaks in, they’ll be stealing our stuff, not his. And if the house catches on fire (!) our lives will be destroyed but he’ll just have to find another room to rent. At what point do we kick him out? Or should we set up an ultimatum so he has more skin in the game? How do we do that without hurting our mostly-great roommate relationship?

That is really serious! I would tell him that you love living with him but his actions could lead to serious consequences and he needs to change his habits or find a new place to live. As nice of a guy as he is he’s putting the house and everything in it in danger. Tell him exactly how many chances he has left and stick to it. He certainly won’t seem that great if you come home to a cleaned out/burned down house.

Sorry if this is kind of scary but when I first met my husband he had a housemate like this. He left the gas on once overnight. It’s a miracle he didn’t somehow end up killing everyone. He was never sorry, though.

I think you may need a checklist for housemate to complete any time he leaves the house.

Have you asked him why he does this? Did he grow up somewhere he didn’t need to do this stuff?

Have you tried asking him why it’s happening? Is he forgetful, careless, lazy or what? This is serious – I’d try to find out why it’s happening and then put appropriate measures in place to stop it happening again. Tell him if he does it one more time, he’ll be leaving. And then if he does it one more time, tell him to leave.

Well, I’d kick him out. But if you don’t want to go that route, then you need to put the responsibility for fixing this back on him.

“Bob, I appreciate that you’ve apologized for it, but it keeps happening, and it can’t keep happening. Can you tell us what you’re going to do to make sure you close and lock the doors when you leave?”

I’ve found that a lot of people who are absent-minded like this often grew up in a situation where they never really had responsibility for the consequences of their mistakes, and they never learned to say “dammit, I need to find a way to quit doing that”. And you can’t be the one to impose a system because that just means one more thing that is Somebody Else’s Problem where they don’t have ownership.

Plus, more generously, what you may think of as a solution may not work for them. Maybe written lists don’t work for Bob, but he can tell Siri to remind him “close the doors” whenever he is a certain distance from the house, for example.

Yeah. I definitely see shades of that in myself. Nothing dangerous, but as it turns out, I CAN kill bugs. I’ve just never had to because I could shriek for one of my parents and they grudgingly took care of it for me. Turns out I’m OK at killing them, I just need to take off my glasses so that I can’t see their *shudder* legs. Either Bob can do it and needs a kick in the butt, or he literally can’t and is therefore not safe to live with.

Would an ultimatum help him remember? Different people need different prompts, so it is hard to know how to make him stop doing this. But if you commit to requiring him to leave if you find the door left open or the stove off, maybe he will figure something out? In other words, a consequence bigger than just you being upset with him? But then you have to be ready to follow through. Also I guess check the laws with regard to this, because you have to know it is legal to kick him out and how much notice would be required?

I would have kicked him out after the 3rd occurrence. If he didn’t change then, he isn’t changing and as you note, you not he will suffer the consequences. Will your own homewoners cover if the house is left unlocked?

I had a friend who had a roommate like this (left a burner on once when leaving the house and never locked doors) — it did not work out and she did end up having the roommate leave. Until he gets some kind of serious consequence from his actions, he’s not going to make an effort to stop doing it.

Yes, I agree. If he’s really serious about wanting to change, charge him a serious fine every time he does it. $100 for leaving the doors open; anything that could destroy the house is $500. he’ll either change once he’s literally had to pay for the consequences, or he’ll move out because he can’t afford it.

I had a friend with a roommate who kept leaving the garage open when he would go out for short trips. Their house did get robbed.

To me, this type of thing is a deal breaker. Great roommate relationships are important, but safety for me is more important. I’m not sure what your lease with him requires or what you need financially from a roommate, but I’d start the process of looking for a replacement now.

You need to lay it out for him. He needs to tell you exactly how he is going to make sure that this stops. And if his measures don’t make sense, or if they don’t work (ie he does this again), he’s out.

These are the kinds of things that can happen to anyone ONCE IN A BLUE MOON. Neither the combinations nor the frequency, however, are “Oh, crazy stuff happens.” This is either a pathological level of carelessness or some condition that you don’t know about. And, it really doesn’t matter. You need to not have to deal with the fall out.

The main thing you need to watch out for is what his legal rights as a tenant are. A chat with a lawyer might be worthwhile.

I would evict him. You have already talked to him about it. He has apologized, but has also sent a very loud message that he has no intention to change.
Tell him that the roommate situation is not working because you have different styles. Tell him he needs to find a new place to live within a month. If he says he will change, and you believe him, you are a sucker. He has already told you he would change, and he hasn’t – an ultimatum is not going to help.
Give him one month’s notice. Take any necessary legal action necessary now (don’t wait until the month is up). Start looking for a responsible roommate.

If I Am So Furious is reading today, I just wanted to say I’ve been thinking about you all week and hoping that you are getting to a good sense of your new normal. good luck with all you are going through!

Weight Loss Update: I lost another 1.4 lbs this week which is definitely slower than I have seen but I’m taking as a win. It was a tough week and it involved no less than three very tempting days to give in. Tuesday I forgot my lunch and had no time to walk to the deli for a salad so I had to order in. My options were burger or burger or burger. So I ordered a burger (but tossed out the bun). Wednesday we had ice cream sundaes at work and I opted out (because there is just no way to make that healthy and I don’t trust myself to have just a little and not spiral back into old habits yet). So, in an effort to be kind a coworker (who had previously asked and I declined) brought one to me and set it at my desk. Finally, yesterday I was just feeling really down. I was tired, I was hit with a sudden and strong sadness over my dog who died in May. I wanted pizza. I went to the gym instead.

I’ve been disappointed that I’m down nearly 20lbs but my pant size hasn’t changed at all. But I guess I’ve been in this same size since I hit about 300lbs so I still have a bit left to go. I am losing fat in weird places. Like the rolls on my back and around my ribs right under my breasts. I’ve been a 46 band on bras forever. Like FOREVER. My bras are now loose on the tightest clasp. I’m going to go get fitted today and see what comes of it.

I’ve started to mixup my gym time. I do 20 minutes on the elliptical (it is all I can muster so far – that thing is a BEAST) followed by either 10 minutes of mix strength/resistance and off machine cardio (some moves from beachbody that I can manage) or 5 minutes of stretching/resistance and a 10 minute walk outside. Next week I want to try to push for 30 minutes on the elliptical plus the other work.

Gym jerk has been back several times. He stopped in front of my machine Thursday and asked if he could use it. WHILE I WAS ON IT! I wasn’t about to stop mid step to deal with him so I just stared at him until he walked away. I am pretty sure I know who he is now so I plan to talk to the property managers about this. It has gone from one stupid comment to feeling like he’s showing up whenever I’m there and making snide comments or trying to goad me directly. Something about him just really makes me uncomfortable.

I think you are amazing :).
Not because of the weight loss, that is wonderful but there will be times when you plateau and times when you lose more, but because you are working so hard to change old habits. I will remember this next time I want to go to the cafeteria instead of eating my boring brought from home food, or next time I am tired and don’t want to work out :)

Thanks :) I am really excited. I feel like something has changed. I had a really aggressive weight loss goal for my first month and I didn’t quite make it, but you know what? I am still really proud of the changes I *have* made. Facebook memories remind me of all the times I swore up and down that I was going to do this before and it always failed. But this time I am focusing more on how I feel and focusing more on being proud of what I have done as opposed to attacking myself when I fail.

Even if I never lose another ounce, but I can keep the great sleep, the clearer skin, the energy and the positive mood I would be content.

I’m glad I can help in little ways! I will say that these regular updates keep me going. I don’t want to have to say “Oh I had pizza three days this week and didn’t go to the gym once” lol! I’m sure that week will come (and it will probably be Thanksgiving!) but let’s keep that away for right now!

It is definitely a good way to help oneself stay accountable. I like it.
These lifting classes I’ve taken in the past couple weeks really meant stepping out of my comfort zone. A friend at work is also into weightlifting and I texted her that I was going; just the simple thing of texting her helped me not back out.

Why are gym jerks such a thing? I paid for the summer semester at the rec at my workplace this past summer and worked with a personal trainer for a bit. I went at lunchtime one day hoping to destress a bit (it had been a rough morning) and went into the tiny ‘private’ free weight room away from the testosterone pit to do hand weights and kettle bells. I had a fan on because I don’t operate well without air movement if it’s warm.

Some butt munch came in and without even an ‘eff you’ turned off my fan, picked up some weights and then proceeded to behave as though my mere presence was some kind of hinderance to him. He never said a word to me, but there was a lot of equipment rearranging around me, huge, heavy sighs, one or two reps with a weight then he’d sit there and stare into the mirror, then he’d get up and move something else. I wanted to throw the kettlebell at his head.

I’m sorry you’re putting up with someone doing crap like that to you repeatedly and I hope reporting him to the property managers gets you some relief. It’s so frustrating!

Seriously! By far, most of the people I come across at the gym are either nice and supportive or too focused on their own workout to notice me (which is perfectly fine, we’re all there for a reason). I even had one guy help me with my form when I was doing some resistance training. He was clearly wanting to say something but didn’t (I think he didn’t want to offend me), so I asked for his help and he gave me two quick pointers that I would have never known but totally make sense and then we went back to our own thing.

I think, in this particular case, he feels personally offended by the fact that I am fat and in his presence. Yes, that is a big thing to accuse someone of but given his behavior towards me over the last two weeks it is more than justified. We’ve had no other interactions outside the gym and he seems to be trying to hurt my feelings. He probably assumes I’m not working hard since I’m not thin but uh…wtf does he think I’m doing at the gym?

My husband was about 35 pounds overweight 30+ years ago. He started spending an hour each morning at the gym 6 days a week and steadily took off the weight and has kept it off all this time and kept up his exercise routine. It is commendable that you are committed to your healthy weight and fitness and are doing something about it. Blank him and the horse he rode in on. He is the one who should be embarrassed.

Congrats on your weight loss!! And I’m jealous that you can do 20 minutes on the elliptical. Years ago I was able to work myself up an hour (why I would want to go that long, I don’t know!). These days I can barely manage 5 minutes, and I work out 5 days a week! But I do different exercises now, so that’s probably why.

As far as your size changing, I was in the same boat when I started. I started at 343 pounds. I’d say it took me maybe 40 pounds before I could go down a size (and no one even noticed I lost weight until I hit 50-60 pounds). It was disappointing, but it started changing faster after that. You’ll get there!

Thanks! It is funny, when I weighed about 200lbs I could gain or lose 15lbs and my pants size would change. I think I just have a lot of fat all over so it just isn’t coming off my waist and hips quickly. But, it will! It has to eventually, right!?

On the elliptical, the first time I did it I nearly quit at 5 minutes. But I convinced myself to try to push for 7 and then 10. I find that once I get past 7 minutes it gets a lot easier to keep going but pushing past 20 minutes right now means I cannot walk when I get off of it and my legs will be sore the next day.

Definitely true about the weight loss not being noticed. I can see it in my face, and I sent a side by side picture to my best friend and she said it was noticable side by side but she wouldn’t have realized yet without that (she is lovingly honest, isn’t she?). But I do notice my tops are fitting a bit looser and I can see I have fewer (and smaller) rolls on my back. But most importantly, I feel stronger and can do more reps of my light weights and I am more flexible.

Also: People who go to the gym – what is with bringing small children (like 5 – 7 years old) and letting them play on the machines? How could you ever think it is safe to let a small child play on a treadmill or elliptical?!?

I started trying to lose weight in May and have lost about 35 pounds but seem to have plateaued for the past two weeks or so. It is a little frustrating. I don’t know if I have gone down any sizes in clothing, but a few items of clothing that were a bit more snug are now looser so I do feel like I am making some progress.

Unfortunately, I have some medical problems that are making regular exercise complicated right now. I have an appointment with a doctor about it next week, but will likely be a little longer before it is resolved. But I am trying to be more active in general than my desk job usually requires until I am more able to do more vigorous activity.

My work has an on-site gym that I have enjoyed using! It usually isn’t crowded and have yet to run into any gym jerks. Only down side is it is limited in some of the equipment it has.

Nice! Good for you. My doctor and I had a chat about plateaus just last week. She was telling me that they will happen and I just have to keep at it and let my body catch up. One thing she suggested that maybe could help you is that when you hit a plateau you should change something. Do a different exercise, change up what/how you eat, etc. It sort of shocks your body back into weight loss mode.

But the reality is this is really hard. You’ve already done great though, so you can keep it up! For exercise, I started out just walking because that was all I could do. But walking is better than sitting and I enjoy it. That led to the gym when the weather was crappy which led to more gym etc.

Good luck with your doctor! I hope they can give you some ideas on what exercises are possible (if any) without making your health worse.

Plateaus aren’t just about shocking your body into weight loss mode. It’s that your muscles (and really your whole body) are getting stronger and thus the exercise that was challenging becomes no longer challenging. So you have to change things up to continue progressing in strength/endurance/flexibility building. It’s also good to change things up to make sure you get different muscle groups.

Re: changing sizes, or not. When you lose weight, at some point you’re also dealing with loose skin. Skin takes a lot longer to shrink, and depending on lots of things may not shrink as much as you’d like. So you may have lost X pounds, but it looks like you gained because of how the loose skin is sitting on you. Do not despair – give it time for your body to adjust.

Also, if you’re working out, there’s a good chance you’re building muscle. This is really good! Muscle burns way more calories than fat does, so it can help rev up your metabolism to speed up weight loss. However, it also weighs more than fat. So you get this weird thing where you’ve added muscle and lost fat but your weight is actually the same, or actually increased. Again, just keep going and give your body time. Over time, adding muscle will really do amazing things.

I used to make these gluten-free sugar-free cookies of canned pumpkin, rolled oats, and an egg on a baking sheet. Cinnamon to taste. And sometimes vanilla extract and/or a little leavining like baking soda.No measurements, I’m afraid. I just did it by eye but they were always edible and sometimes quite good.

Macaroons? The ones that are little coconut cookies, not the french kind. Just mix some pumpkin with the eggs, add sugar/cinnamon/whatever else to taste, fold in the coconut, and bake for 20-25 minutes at 325-350.

Anybody here done one of those DNA tests?
I got mine back last week and to say I was shocked was an understatement-lets just say when you expected to confirm you were part Greek but found out you were part Jewish by that same exact percentage…..I mean, I think it is really really cool but when you have gone years thinking one thing and then all of a sudden get it upended…..and yes, I am sure the results are right. (Grandma was….interesting. Leave it at that.)

I did! 23andme has a study for bipolar and depression going so I got it for free. It was really interesting to see, it looks like I have a bit of everything from all over southern Europe, including a bit of Balkan ancestry, which was unexpected.

But I honestly think the commercial with Kyle who thought he was German and did German dance but then found out he was Scottish and switched to kilts is so stupid. Obviously IDK his story but if your parents/grandparents/ancestors lived in Germany as Germans then that’s their culture not some place they never lived.

Mine makes perfect sense considering where I am from -3/4 of my ancestors have been here for generations, and the local Jewish community, while small (I live in the South) comes from the area in question. Plus I researched companies before I did mine (I chose Ancestry DNA.)

Oh, and it is kinda ironic I find out all this during the High Holy Days….(Used to live in Florida, and my Jewish friends there educated me on Jewish holidays and convenient Yiddish words like shmattah and schmuck . Once I found out what that last one really meant I do not use it!)

Schmuck may have a specific origin as a genital reference, but IMHO it is a great word for character assessment. In a mere seven letters it manages to communicate a blend of behavior and personality so disappointing that they produce horrified onlookers who are entirely justified in being shocked/ deeply disapproving / utterly aghast.

I lived for a year in Germany years ago and pretty much 100% of school age boys wore lederhosen then and the occasional man especially in the south. They are the most practical child’s garment ever as a kid can wear the same pair for years before having to upsize and then pass them down to his cousin or brother.

I have been living in Germany for 32 years and have never seen a single person wearing Lederhosen outside of Bavaria. So yes, Lederhosen might be practical, but they are only customary in a very specific region in specific contexts, certainly not a thing in all of Germany.

I have not done a DNA test (although I am going to do it next month!) but I have done some family history that really upended my view of myself.

I’ve only ever known my mother’s side of the family. My father was an abusive POS and he’s been out of my life since I was a baby. My mother doesn’t know much about his family and I’ve hit roadblock after roadblock trying to research them (not to get to know them, but to know my heritage) likely because it is 98% possible he lied about his name. Awesome.

I grew up being told I was Italian and Norwegian. My maternal grandfather’s father immigrated from Italy and my maternal grandmother’s grandfather immigrated for Norway. It was never discussed, nor questioned, where their respective mother and grandmother hailed from. It was assumed the answer was Italy and Norway. Boy howdy was that wrong.

They hailed from America circa 1620. Before that, England as far back as I can find reliable records with a touch of German and Scottish mixed in for good measure. They were among the founders of many towns in New England and Virginia. While there is no one particularly famous these days, they were an interesting bunch. I’m now writing the history of my foremothers. And, of course, all my grandfather wants to know is about his father….sigh.

I’ve been trying to get my father to do it. I haven’t because I really want more about his (poorly documented and very confusing) side of the family, and the information I’d get from him would be more complete regarding that side of the family than what we’d get from me because I’d have my mom’s heritage in there too. I don’t expect to be too shocked because we’re already pretty uncertain about what went on ~100 years ago, though, lol.

Yup, a few years back I did 23andme. I agree with people that their reliability isn’t exactly ironclad, and it’s been interesting to see how 23andm3 have changed their geographic descriptions of ancestral origins over time and how mine has roamed around a little in their records :-). I started out as 25% Italian and now I’m down to 2.8% Italian and 11.6% “Broadly Southern European.” 23andme doesn’t specify Greek at all–as close as it gets is “Balkan,” which I’ve got a big whack of, and the only Jewish ancestry it guesses at is Ashkenazi. If they’re identifying you through maternal or paternal haplotype as Ashkenazi, it looks like that’s a reasonable likelihood, but it’s harder to determine Sephardic Jewish ancestry.

I will, being in an auxiliary field to these kinds of tests, I’m not surprised it has changed. We’re still learning a lot about human DNA and how that relates to geographical hereditary paths. The science is always changing. These tests are fairly accurate but I would recommend using them to get an idea of region, not specific countries – particularly in regions where borders often shift (which is everywhere, really, I guess!)

My sister has been doing a lot of genealogy work the past few years and has found some fascinating stuff. Most of the records we can find go straight back to the UK, though my Dad has always said we have some German ancestry. On my mother’s side, my grandmother thought we had some Native American ancestry, but we think that family rumor came from the fact that one of my male ancestors’ second wife was Native American, but they never had any children as far as we can tell.

Yes, and it came back 96% English-Irish, which surprised no one, and 3% Neanderthal! Which I tell everyone means that I will be very very polite to you up until the time I bash you on the head with my club. :D

I did the one on Ancestry.com. It confirmed I am related to the cousins on both sides of my family who I already know. And there were no big surprises ethnicity-wise.
I found it fascinating but then I am big into genealogy.

I did it because my father died of AD and I wanted to see if I carried the genes. I don’t know if he had the genes, but still. I know they aren’t perfectly reliable but it was still reassuring to not have those genes or the Brac genes. I also have a higher than average percent of Neanderthal heritage supposedly. Ooga booga.

I haven’t, but my mother recently got back in contact with a part of the family that had lived in the Eastern part of Germany during the separation, and one of them is doing our family history for the part of my mother’s father’s family, which was Jewish.
I’m kind of interested in my father’s side as well, as they have a Polish last name (I don’t anymore, I took my Japanese husband’s name – imagine my grandkids in a hundred years doing ancestry :D), but no one speaks any Polish.

I would not be surprised to find out that many of us are not with the family of our ancestors. Shortly after my father died I learned our family name is probably not “Jones”. This is because of a male ancestor who may have gone missing/presumed dead. His son who he left behind took the name of the mom’s new husband. But those things were secrets and not to be spoken about.
I would love to know what happened there, but don’t have time to follow it.

I did Ancestry and found out I was exactly what I’d been identifying with: Irish-Italian. 40% Irish and 26% Italian. Right on the money, as my maternal grandmother was from Sicily. Now…where do I get my whiskey and wine? ;)

Exactly! Additionally, the ability for familial identification scares the crud out of me. Pretty soon we will have very little anonymity, it is frightening and seems inevitable.

The government is constantly working to access these companies’ records to datamine their files. I feel our 4th amendment is becoming moot. Now the government has the ability to halt the statute of limitations based on a DNA identification, so really, time is on their side.

Well, at my age I am just not worried about that stuff. And frankly if the gubmint wanted my dna there are lots and lots of ways they could get hold of it without me even knowing. If it had not been for the family issue of who my grandfather was I probably would not have bothered-I really wanted to clear up a family mystery while my mom is still alive-but of course now things are more muddy than ever!

I’ve never been crazy about the cars I drive: I learned to drive on a Volvo240 and then I had a Honda Civic. I now drive a Toyota Camry that I’m meh about. Today, I want to dive into the Auto World and figure out what cars rev my engine.

What car do you have? What car would you love to have?

If it helps, I definitely prefer hybrid or electric. I also have a big ol’ doggo, so something with a good-sized backseat would also be grrrrrrreat.

I’m a person who never cared much about cars. Didn’t get what people meant by “loving” a car. I wanted something safe, affordable and not fugly–the end.

Then I got a Prius. And I love it.

It handles beautifully. Mileage is incredible. The interior is well designed, which means my lower-price model still looks luxe and modern, plus people regularly comment about how the car looks compact but feels quite roomy inside. Visibility is generally good save for standard hatchback issues. And my doggo thinks that hatchback was made for his personal enjoyment. I can’t recommend the car highly enough.

I’ve always driven Honda cars. Started with a hatchback in college. That car was destroyed in a fire at an auto shop so I upgraded to a Civic coupe. That one was totaled when I got rear ended. From there got an Accord. Drove that one until the front axle broke. I could have gotten it fixed, but it wasn’t really worth it. From there got a 2011 Accord. All of them have been used. I’ve never bought a brand new car.

I’m not into getting a fancy car. I’ve seen people be so careless in parking lots opening their doors without looking and banging into the side. Once I was driving home and a rock cracked the windshield. Someone hit my husband’s car in the parking lot and badly damaged the bumper. He drove off, but miraculously the police were able to find the person.

My husband HATES cars and driving and has often lamented that teleportation doesn’t exist. About 18 months ago, we replaced his ancient Acura with a Nissan Leaf and he is SO in love with this car I’ve started calling it his mistress. He volunteers to drive everywhere now. In 15 years together I’ve ALWAYS been the one to drive places.

None of these are hybrid/electric but I’ve had a Ranger, a Mustang and now an F150 and all three were a blast to drive. Unless the upcoming reintroduction of the Ranger is much different, I wouldn’t recommend it for a big dog though. You wouldn’t be able to carry anything else. The F150 has enough room with the seats folded up to fit a pretty decent sized crate in the back seat area. The F150 was my ‘dream car’ and I finally made enough money to get one and it’s been lovely.

Doggos are flexible, I drove all over the eastern half of the country with my 75 lb bloodhound in a Smart :) she got me out of a speeding ticket in Fort Wayne once because the officer was so busy snorgling her ears and squealing PUPPY!! that he forgot why he pulled me over.

Now that I have a total of 130 lbs of doggo and a household of four adults, I drive a Honda CR-V and love it.

I drive a fiat 500, which might be too small for your doggo, although I once got a 160lb man in the back set and he was fine. It’s not a hybrid but it has excellent gas mileage. I really want a smart car but they’re really not practical in the winter where I live, and the fiat was the next best thing. I LOVE mine. She has a name and everything, and she’s perfect for me and my little doggo.

BMW X5 – she wasn’t cheap but she’s big, reliable and bikes fit easily in the boot with the seats dropped so I imagine a doggo of large size would fit. She’s a diesel though but given how many miles I do for site visits at work and dragging me, fiancé and Stuff to triathlons every weekend, she’s perfect.

One of my triathlon club mates has a Volvo XC60 which she loves. I think they’re available as hybrids now. Or you might want to look at the Mitsubishi Outlander (or whatever it’s called where you live) cuz that’s a plug in hybrid. I did think about getting one but BMW cut me a better deal.

We just bought a 2014 Kia Soul last month, and I really like it. It sounds like it might work well for you; it’s fairly zippy, gets very good mileage, it’s fun to drive, and looks small & cute but is pretty roomy inside, with a nice big hatch/trunk area and backseats that fold down (the backseat is also surprisingly big).

It’s not hybrid or electric, but it’s also cheaper than a hybrid/electric, and Kia’s warranty is really good. Plus I’ve never had salesmen etc. at a car dealership be as nice, friendly, and accommodating as these were–apparently that’s a Kia thing, not just my dealership (outside Dallas, if you’re nearby).

My dream car is a classic car, but I’d also looove one of the new Challengers. I drool over them all the time. :-)

But I don’t drive much now – son moved out four years ago, pets aged and passed, renting an apartment within walking distance of two grocery stores – so I’m hoping to keep it running long enough for the all-electric Mini to come off the assembly line.

Hah we are car twins. Well, almost, I’ve got a ’99 Saturn SL. My mechanic has warned me that there’s a few things he’s not going to be able to fix if and when they go out. Hoping it lasts until next year.

You need to talk to your employer about what exactly you have. “Employee Deferral” isn’t a universal term — I have no idea what that is. A Roth 401k is a vehicle where you pay the taxes upfront, so your contributions are post tax, not pretax.

Not quite. The employee deferral part is presumably pre-tax. But the roth part is post-tax. So you will pay tax now on the Roth part. When you retire and take money out, you will pay tax on the deferral part, that was pre-tax now, because you never paid any tax. But you won’t pay tax at least on the base part of the Roth part, because you already paid tax. “In addition, if you satisfy certain distribution conditions, then you won’t have to pay tax on the earnings either. ” If you are just starting out & are in a low tax bracket, then paying tax now will be less than paying tax later.

It sounds like 5% of your pay will go into your traditional 401K. This is “pre-tax money”, so 5% gets subtracted from your income before it’s reported to the IRS and your state, and you don’t pay any income or social security tax on this amount now. You will pay income tax on this money and the growth when you withdraw it in the future. The idea is that if you’re earning enough to be in the 20% bracket now, then later on when you are retired and take it out, you will have much less income and will only be paying in the 10% or 15% bracket, so you are deferring the taxes until a time when your rate will be lower.

Another 5% will go into your Roth 401K. This is “after tax” money, so you will pay ordinary income taxes on it now. However, this money and its earnings will not be taxed upon withdrawal if you are over age 59.5.

Generally, first one is pretax. When you retire, you will pay tax on the earnings and contributions you made. The second is post tax. When you retire, it will be tax free income, both earnings and contributions. The usual advice is to do roth when you think your income in retirement will be more than it is now, and pretax for when your income is high and tax obligations are high. It’s very difficult to judge those things. I mostly do Roth, because I like the idea of tax free income in retirement, what with not knowing what the world will be like.

If your employer matches, to either account, it will be pre tax, and you will pay tax on that portion of your retirement funds.

A Roth 401(k) means you pay the taxes upfront (i.e. now) rather than when you withdraw the money after retirement.

I think the employee deferral option probably means you will not be taxed on that income now, but will be when you withdraw it after retirement. You may want to read the fine print to make sure.

There’s a lot more that goes into it in terms of investment strategy. Very generally speaking, people in lower tax brackets tend to benefit more from a Roth (because they’re paying the taxes now, rather than when they’re in a higher tax bracket) but your personal circumstances could be different.

Disclaimer: While I’m a CPA, the below is only a very brief high-level summary. I recommend that you seek professional advice related to your specific circumstances.

Deferral – “regular” 401(k) which means that your 5% contribution is deducted from your taxable income and your current federal _income_ tax is reduced; you will still pay SS/MC tax on your total gross income; whether this contribution reduces your state income and income tax depends on your state; you don’t pay any income taxes on the annual earnings (while the money sits in the 401(k) and grows), but you pay income taxes (no SS/MC taxes, because you already paid them when making contribution) on anything you withdraw; once you reach age 59.5 you can start withdrawing without penalties as any withdrawals prior to that age will be taxed _and_ penalized (there are very limited exceptions); once you reach age 70.5 you will be _required_ to withdraw certain minimum amount based on age and account balance; taxability at the state level depends on the state you _live_ in when making withdrawals.

Roth – Roth 401(k) which means that you pay income tax on your 5% contribution now so there is no impact on your current federal _income_ tax; you also pay SS/MC tax on your total gross income as with regular 401(k); you don’t pay any income taxes on the annual earnings (while the money sits in the Roth 401(k) and grows) _and_ you pay no income taxes on anything you withdraw (since you paid taxes on the contributions); unlike with the regular 401(k), there are no minimum required distributions, and you can withdraw your contributions (but not the earnings) at any time after the first 5 years without tax and penalties (of course that will significantly reduce the growth potential of your account); Roth 401(k) contributions are not deductible and the withdrawals are not taxable at the state level, IIRC.

Your employer’s contribution will _always_ be regular/traditional 401(k) because you have no opportunity to pay tax on those contribution now in order to have them treated as Roth 401(k).

My general recommendation, but again YMMV, seek advice related to your circumstances, is to max out your contributions to retirement account via Roth accounts (401k or IRA) first, and to contribute at least enough to take advantage of the _full_ employer match – it’s free money after all – so if your employer match the first 6% of your salary, don’t stop at 4% contribution. Your 10% is a substantial percentage, but if you can swing it, I would increase even that (2017 max amount is $18k). The recommendation is because of both the tax treatment and withdrawal flexibility.

Also, note:
@Undine – in Roth account, under normal circumstances, you don’t pay any taxes on withdrawals, both contributions and earnings;
@CCA – state deductions depend on the state; you still pay SS/MC taxes now, regardless of type of contribution; you can withdraw Roth original contributions (but not earnings) at any time w/o taxes/penalties after you had the account for 5 years;

And put as much away as you possibly can. 10% of your income should be a minimum. I say this from the other end. We are retired and very comfortable, live in an expensive city with great cultural options, travel etc etc and we never made fabulous money, but we always lived below our means and put away a fair amount every single year. It makes such a difference to not be worried about money in your old age.

there is also the thought that you should have accumulate a balance in both type of accounts to give you flexibility when you are retired on how much taxable income you are generating with distributions from you retirement accounts.

401K plans can have some rules specific to your employer, but genereally
You have to take distibutions after you are 70 1/2 , and can start taking distributions without penalties at about 59 1/2 on the deferred
For the Roth you dont have to take out, but your heirs would. In a Roth IRA you can take out contributions after you have been in the plan for 5 years, but not any earnings on the contribution (without penalties) until 59 1/2. The 401K version might have different rules… they should provide you with plan documents stating what those rules are.
When you leave your employment, you can roll your balances out of your employer plan to IRAs (traditional and Roth) at an investment company like Vanguard or Fidelity. This gives you the option to invest in a wider range of funds and often lower cost funds than most employers have. You can also consolidate balances from multiple previous employers for easier record keeping.

Depending on your tax bracket, you may want to maximize the deferral contributions to lower your taxes now, ‘specially if you are able to get in a lower tax bracket (capital gains tax rates also change based on tax bracket). you can defer about 18,000/year if you are under 50 and more if you are over 50. I am not sure about the roth 401k contribution limit, cause I never had one of those, but my guess is the limit is on the combo of both, like it is with IRAs

After barely running at all (ok, not running at all) for a few months (since about may), I’m back into it… sort of! This time I’ve decided to try a marathon (there’s one I’m planning to enter, which is in March, but entries aren’t open yet). I ran a half-marathon in April but that’s the longest distance I’ve ever run (so far).

My running fitness is way down right now from what it was in April, but I’m trying to feel positive about it. I change from feeling like I’ll easily be ready vs picturing myself dropping out after like 15 miles. I’m also trying to find / work out my motivation. I don’t really have any particular strong specific thing motivating me. I’m not being sponsored, I don’t have [m]any running friends (I mean, I’ve met people at the parkrun etc who I have become on friendly terms with, but no one in my regular social circle is especially into running – some of them do occasional fitness runs, but none of them are interested in races or running events). I also don’t think I know anyone who would be interested in coming along or supporting me on the day either as it’s not super local (it’s about 2 hours away, and I’ll go on the train) and it’s not a massive well known one that’ll have a big crowd atmosphere or anything.

It’s a bit of a personal thing – I kind of enjoy running, and I like feeling that I am in good physical shape and I sort of like the training aspect, and I just like feeling that I’ve accomplished something I guess. I’m a bit worried I’ll start doubting my reasons for caring enough to finish right about the time when I’m feeling especially tired while trying to run it…

I sympathize with the feelings of not caring enough to finish. Somewhere in the middle of the bike leg of almost every triathlon I do, I start wondering why I am out there and why I think triathlons are a fun hobby. I imagine stopping and letting the support vehicle take me back to town. I remind myself how hard I worked on my training and how good I’ll feel when I finish and tell myself I don’t want to let it all go to waste. And I just keep peddling. Sooner or later I’m there and I do feel good. That’s how I do it. Some people also find it helps to have a mantra to repeat. Mine is “I can and I will.” I believe you can run a marathon and you will, if you decide it’s the thing for you.

Interestingly, a person with the same first and last name as me (I have a common name) ran the same race in 1 hour and 42 minutes. A bunch of people I know looked up my result and congratulated me on her time. I spell my surname with a double letter (think like Alison Vs Allison) but her way is more common and people usually spell mine wrong even when copying it etc.

Celebrating the fact that the house is finally free of all in-laws. 10 days with an extroverted (all the rest of us are very introverted), passive-aggressive, guilt-trippy MIL was about 8 days too many. Truly good people, but that was way too much togetherness.

Spouse and I are rejoicing in our once-again quiet house. May everyone else’s weekends be peaceful as well.

Yikes 10 days. One of the best things we ever did was move to the city my daughter and her family live in when we retired. We can take the grandkids for a night every week, get together for dinner or a Sunday out etc etc and I can have lunch with my daughter every week or two — and all without driving anyone nuts. My folks lived 2000 miles away and so every trip was toooo much; I enjoyed them but after about 3 days of incessant neediness — because they seldom saw us — I was practically catatonic. I feel your pain.

3-ish days would be my preference, but this was the first time they’ve visited since we moved 1300 miles away (from our old city where we were “only” 800 miles away), and there was a birthday and a special activity to be worked into the trip, so it was much longer than usual.

My story: There is a chance I might be offered a position roughly 25 miles away from where my fiancè works. We currently live in a house that is a 10min drive to work for him. As I’m a freelancer at the moment (trying to get a full-time job), my schedule is a bit more flexible and, while I don’t like it, I tolerate the 30 minute each way commute to campus two nights a week for my grad classes. However, this job (which is truly a dream job) would be a 30min drive with no traffic and easily an hour with traffic. My partner, who is excited about this potential job, Does Not Want To Move should I receive an offer.

AAM Fam, we’ve spent past 4 years living in places that are convenient to his work place (he was able to walk to work in the last 2 places). Should I get the job, my time would be much more limited than his (grad classes, studying for an exam, continuing ~10hours/week freelancing, I do all the domestic chores/grocery shopping/food prep/dog care, etc). also, there’s a chance I might actually outearn him.

Am I right in feeling frustrated that he won’t even entertain the idea of moving somewhere that’s between our two workplaces? Have you been in a similar situation? How did you resolve it?

I would be frustrated as well. Moving does not mean that he has to give up his job, it just means that he has to be the inconvienened one for once. Is there somewhere you can move that would be closer to your work and school but not be unreasonable in terms of commute for him? I think this is totally worth having a discussion with him about. Tell him about the pattern where he’s been the one with a small commute and how the current breakdown on domestic duties would make your day really hectic combined with school (maybe tell him how a ssampleweek would go with all your new commuting and commitments) and tell him it is not tenable for you, and it’s his turn to make a sacrifice for your career. I wouldn’t recommend moving unless you definitely have the job though.

Obviously I don’t know the guy, but as you describe him, he’s fine with you being inconvenienced to make things easier for him, but not vice versa. (He won’t even consider moving? You do all the domestic chores? He doesn’t care that your time will be more limited?)

I’m sure you love him, but having BTDT and got the divorce papers, I strongly recommend against marrying anyone whose attitude is that only he gets a veto.

Well, if he wants to stay in the same place for his convenience, perhaps you could discuss that you feel you are doing all the housework and all the commuting and see what his response is? Is he willing to take over most or all of the housework in order to stay where he is? Is this worth breaking up over? Think about what it says about your relationship that ‘he won’t even entertain the idea of moving’. I think it is really good to have these discussions about splits of housework, importance of your career, etc before marrying.

I don’t know if this will help at all, but it’s the lesson I learned after moving 5 times in < 10 years with a partner: unless you're sure one of your jobs is definitely going to be super long term (such as if he is a tenured professor), and unless you don't mind moving every few years, don't base where you live on a job. Live in the area you want to live, that's convenient/fun for all the other aspects of your life. Certainly, set a limit for what commute you find tolerable, but that should be only part of the factor of where you live. Several of our moves were (I realized later) overly focused on one or the other of our commute times, but then one or the other of us changed jobs, and the house that was not ideal in many ways, but boy oy boy such a convenient commute, was suddenly just…not ideal. Now obviously, if you'll be in school there's probably a set timeframe in which your commute will be a known, so that may get a bit more weight given current circumstances, but if you're moving just for commute, unless you don't mind moving again and again, I would not focus on that.
That said, if he wouldn't even entertain the idea of splitting the difference, absent more information I do think that's unreasonable of him. Did he give you other reasons why? If his focus is on living where you live now because that's the neighborhood he wants to live in (not just because of his commute but other things) then I think you should hear him out. However, if he doesn't have other reasons why he wants to stay put/doesn't want to split the difference, if he can't articulate why, then that's a jerk move. Unfortunately, I don't have advice on how to resolve it. My perspective above is all based on what I would've done differently, after the fact.

He works as an attorney and states he has to be in court by a certain time or else the judge might arrest him, etc. Like, okay, so you wake up earlier, right?

WRONG.

He has poor sleeping habits, so he is constantly going to bed late and, consequently, not getting enough sleep. Granted, he struggles with insomnia or some sort of delayed circadian rhythm? I’m not sure if it’s “fixable,” but it does bother me that he doesn’t try to do anything to improve his sleeping habits. He goes to work, then comes home to lie in bed and watch TV/play video games. When I ask him to do ANYTHING, he responds, “but I’ve been working all day!” When I try to voice that I’m… displeased with the current arrangement, he gets defensive and whips out “well, I make more than you and pay more of our bills.” This has been grating on me for awhile and the recent opposition to even considering moving is really upsetting to me.

It seems like no matter what I do, until I have a doctorate level degree and am earning substantially more than him, he does not see my time as valuable as his. For example, I was supposed to take a Really Big Exam this summer, but I needed him to take on some responsibilities so I could study. He didn’t step up because, apparently, 7 hours of binge watching is more important than putting a dish in the dishwasher. Or how I’m required to give him 100% of my attention when he rants about his day, but he won’t even ask me about mine. I honestly feel more like a mother than a partner at this point. And I also feel like I can’t rely on him for things other than paying the rent on time. :(

Honestly? That sounds simply untenable. But more than that, you sound really, really unhappy. Are you sure you want to be in this situation, with this man? I don’t mean to be unkind but this sounds exhausting and stressful and like you’d be better off doing literally anything else.

This sounds extremely frustrating. This isn’t a nice or easy question, but if you didn’t already own this, would you buy it? That is, if you met a new potential SO who behaved this way and planned to continue, how would you feel about them?

So when I read your initial post to my wife, she said “we’re only getting one side of the situation, but it also sounds like she wants to leave him and wants the internet’s support”. I was a little skeptical until I read your response here.

Dude, you obviously aren’t happy here. It sounds like he’s being a sh*tty partner to you and it sounds like you are really fed up. Seriously, this isn’t a relationship to make permanent. You obviously resent him a whole lot, and it seems pretty fair that you do.

This is not what love looks like. If you aren’t married, move on when it is convenient for you. If you are, time to ask yourself i this is the way you want to spend the rest of your life. I got out of an ill advised early marriage where I did the housework and supported him while he was in school and spend his days lying around or playing bridge in the student union. I have been married to a real partner for 45 years. You don’t find a man who loves you and a partner who supports you and shares responsibilities good times and bad with you, if you stick with someone who is a user and doesn’t respect you. You are not less valuable because you make less money. If you are to him then that tells you about him.

If you ask me, you’ve more or less framed an untenable situation — as in, trying to lay out something where all logic and reason would dictate that he “must” move for your convenience. The more you try to reason it your way, and the more he says no, then what?

Frankly, if he won’t budge, I’d leave the guy. As far as he’s concerned, he’s got it made, so why should he inconvenience himself? The fact he won’t move in and of itself doesn’t bother me, but you taking on all of the domestic stuff is a completely different matter.

I agree with others that you should have some discussions about the division of labor in your household.

One short term solution if you don’t move might be to outsouce some household chores — hire a cleaner, use a grocery delivery service, a laundry service, a dogwalker — whatever works for you.There is no sense in running yourself into the ground. This would free up your time and energy to concentrate on your career, a benefit it seems your partner has been enjoying for a while.

For me, it was a several year process to decide where/how to live in relation to my partner, and we made different choices at different stages. As I’m sure you know as a student, in the academic world it seems really normal to live away from your partner. When I started grad school I moved to a different state and lived with a roommate; my partner continued living in state #1 for two years during my coursework phase, and then once my focus shifted to research/teaching, he decided to propose a telecommuting arrangement for his job to enable him to move to state #2 (which was by no means a sure bet but it ended up working out). But it sounds like you and your partner are dealing with a much smaller geographical radius. Wishing you luck with identifying what you need and how to get it, and congratulations on your new job!!

I think it’s bigger discussion time. In a lot of situations, a 30-minute commute is not that long and moving to shorten it would be unusual, but this isn’t just about the commute–this is about “our lives are changing for both of us if I get this job. Let’s talk about how we’ll handle that.” Come up with proposals–here’s what moving will cost, here’s how long it’ll take to earn that money back, here’s the nice town, here’s how we’ll share out cleaning and dog care and/or the cost of the cleaner and dogsitter.

For my money, the real challenge is going to be sharing out the domestic responsibilities. Somebody who hasn’t had to do them and hasn’t felt obliged to do them isn’t likely to dive in with joy to picking them up; the fact that he doesn’t seem to have brought that up as a counteroffer for staying in the current location isn’t a great sign to me either. We all love an easy status quo, but one way or another, it’s likely his is going to change; the best thing you two can do is consciously shape that change.

I’m married to a guy who uprooted his career and moved across country where he really struggled to start over when it was ‘my turn’ so I am biased. Someone who doesn’t care about you is not a good prospect for a lifetime together. Imagine if you had kids? Heck imagine if you had a dog? Any discussion of joint decisions should be weighed with the convenience and needs of both partners in mind. ‘Me first’ always — is a deal breaker for me.

Missed that, but apparently she does the housework, cares for the dog and he isn’t willing to consider her convenience in living area. That is not what love is; that is what ‘oh good I have a servant for life’ is. I am typing it as my husband is making dinner; I went to the farmer’s market this morning for the food and will be doing the dishes tonight.

Would there be traffic? An hour commute sounds unreasonable, but a half an hour doesn’t, especially if it’s the difference between moving and staying where you are. I get that 30 > 10, but I don’t know if it’s worth moving even if you managed to find a place 20 minutes from each of your places.

I’m trying to lose weight, but I need some tips on making healthy meals that are more affordable on a limited budget! I see people share they can feed 2 people on $75-80/week- I feel like they might be a good goal for me to attempt?

I eat a lot of bean/lentil/chickpea based meals with very little meat (1 or 2 meals a week). I buy all beans and such dry in bulk (I pressure cook or slow cook them), and I cook in large batches (6-8 servings/batch). I buy organic in a HCOL area and spend about 50-75/week on groceries (me + my husband), averaging 1 meal out per week.

When I do buy meat, I buy whole chickens. I use every piece, including making my own broth (which then adds flavor to the bean/rice sorts of dishes).

I live in a MCOL area and budget $190/month for groceries. (This basically covers all grocery store bought food, it doesn’t include my eating out budget or alcohol budget but I regularly feed my SO a few times a weeks so I think that budget could cover 100% of home meals).
Start by looking for cheep and healthy recipes. There’s a website called Budget Bytes that I’ve seen people recommend, although I’ve never used it myself.
Figure out what cheep foods you like. I discovered that I actually like lentils so I make lentil soup regularly in the fall and winter. I take the time to make beans from dry beans instead of buying the cooked cans of beans so 2 cups of beans cost me 1/3 the price of a can of beans. I like vegetarian rice bowls so I’ll make rice + protein (black beans) + roasted sweet potatoes. Substitute for your favorite veggies. Usually rice + toppings makes a cheep and easy meal.
For breakfast, maybe try oatmeal? If you can get it in bulk it’ll be super cheep. I put raisins on my oatmeal for a bit more substance and as a sweetener. You could also make oatmeal with a fried egg on top.

As noted, where you live matters, but that would be on the spendy side for 1 person in my area for sure; I’m super self-indulgent (mail order cheese and online fancy honey, etc.) and my monthly grocery budget is high at $375.

What I see you making doesn’t to me translate easily to $150 a week, so I’m wondering if the issue isn’t so much the choices of what you’re eating as how you’re buying it. Are you buying from a bodega or Whole Foods or from an Aldi or somewhere in between? Are you buying pre-chopped or precooked anything? Are you buying the 69¢ a carton eggs or organics at $4?

I get by on about $15-$25 a week in groceries, depending on what I am making. I keep my grocery costs low by not buying any snack foods like chips, etc (that was a hard adjustment at first), and by shopping at cheaper stores like Aldi. I’ve lost about 30 pounds since January. Note, I live in a LCOL area.

I don’t know what your grocery options are, but when I switched from Giant to Aldi, my grocery bill (for 2 adults and a child) went down from about where yours is to $60-100 a week. It’s usually in the lower half of that range unless I supplement with a farmer’s market trip or we are having guests. We get less variety in produce and packaged foods, but that reduces impulse buys and “stocking the cupboard” rationalizations for over-buying, and the overall prices are just lower. They have most if not all of the stuff on your list, except eggplant and zucchini won’t show up out of season, and I don’t know about protein powder.

That does seem high, even for a high cost of living area. Protein powder can be expensive. What’s your weekly budget without it? You’ll get a better idea what you spend comparing real food to real food. If you’re trying to lose weight then you’re probably also eating more protein than the average person. Animal protein can be expensive, especially the leaner cuts that are most recommended in diets. And unless you’re batch cooking and freezing or eating leftovers, you’re not going to have the same savings as someone feeding 2 or 4. The more I think about it, I think your best starting point is to google for what other dieters and body builders spend on food and use that as your measure. Also, are you buying the same types of things? I include toiletries and paper goods in my grocery budget. Other things to consider are convenience foods vs doing the work yourself, co-ops vs supermarkets and discount stores, organic foods vs conventionally grown. There’s nothing right or wrong about any of these choices but they do affect how much you spend. Finally, you’ll save money if you eat with the seasons and plan your meals according to what’s on sale.

One strategy for limiting your budget is to limit variety. For example, instead of a vegetable medley, a combo of two vegetables. Another way to limit variety is to have a staple that you include every day (possibly even in two meals a day). Something like potatoes, rice, or beans. Switch it out weekly instead of daily. For example, one week potatoes, the next week beans, and so on.

Watch where you shop.
Here, the Big Money Saving Grocery Store is one of the biggest rip offs going on. It’s got that warehouse look to it so you are supposed to feel like you will get a bargain deal. Meanwhile, Grocery Store with Bland Name is actually much cheaper.

Learn where they put the discounts and closeouts. they may move them periodically, too. But check the discount table every time you shop. I have found some great deals. Last week I got some Dr. Bronner’s soap at almost half off. This is almost unheard of in my area.
Place like Price Rite are bringing more organics. If you haven’t been to one of these types of stores for a while you might want to check them out again.

The best way is to plan what you’re going to have and then shop only your menu. E.g. last week for me breakfast was either a Lara bar and fruit (Apple or banana) or overnight oats with almond milk and frozen berries. Lunch was chickpea and artichoke burgers on whole grain bread with spinach salad, peppers, carrots, and celery, and dinner was a black bean burrito on a whole wheat tortilla with guacamole, salsa, corn, and more spinach. If I was snacky, more fruit and a handful of nuts.

If you like more daily variety then shop for a couple weeks at a time and make freezer friendly meals that you can grab and heat.

Would your landlord get you a new fridge on noise alone? I’d try to find another reason. Do you have a fridge thermometer (they’re not pricey) that you can check the fridge and freezer temps with? If they’re off, you can say that you’re afraid the noise is an indication of something wrong, since the cooling seems off.

My refrigerator makes SO MANY NOISES. My refrigerator is also a pretty cheap one, since my landlord is also kind of cheap. Unless your is a high end model meant to run smoothly, I’d roll with it.

One thing that you can do if you’re worried is buy a little thermometer meant for fridges and stick it in there; it will help you keep track of whether the fridge is keeping your stuff cold; as long as your stuff is cold, no worries!

Look behind it. I had a repair guy out last year because every time my fridge cycled on it started ticking, it was two weeks from the end of the warranty and I was afraid my fridge was going to explode or something. In the vein of “I’d rather feel stupid than have been right,” it turned out that the fan blowing out the back when the fridge kicked on was blowing a safety tag on the cord so it tap-tap-tapped against the back of the fridge.

If you have a friend who does repair work on appliances call him/her and ask what they think.
OR stop by a reputable appliance place and ask to talk to someone in the repair department.
Try to figure out the model number, first. The manufacturer should be easy to find.

I would be more worried if the sound went on for a while. I’d be even more worried if you thought it was fan blades hitting something.

Last. Solinoids click. But I have no idea if there are solinoids in a fridge.

You could put a thermometer in it and see if it is running at the correct temp, the temperature that it is set at.

So I’m several months late on this, but Alison THANK YOU SO MUCH for introducing me to Hannah and Matt Know It All! I listen to it on my commute all the time now, and introduced it to my friend who now also loves it (and has a crush on both Hannah and on Matt ha.) As someone who reads advice columns ALL the time, I was ecstatic when I found out there was an entire podcast dedicated to them, and Hannah and Matt are fantastic!

So, I’m buying a new bed — not the mattress, but the bed itself. And I’m finding that almost nowhere lists how far up the mattress will sit from the floor … which seems like really crucial information, since a lot of beds are either really high or really low, and I want to make sure that it’s relatively level with our nightstands. And there are a ton of crazily high beds now, apparently — ones where the top of any normal nightstand would be 5-6 inches below you once you’re in bed.

I spent nearly an hour on the phone with Pottery Barn yesterday trying to find the distance from the floor to the part where the mattress sits for the bed I thought I wanted, and they ultimately couldn’t figure it out.

Is this not a thing that people care about when they buy beds? The only place I’ve found that reliably offers that info is Crate and Barrel (they list it for almost all their beds), and I’m stumped about why this isn’t a major element of bed buying.

I had this issue buying beds for my kids, who are still prone to fall out, and my mother had the same issue when trying to switch to something easier to get in and out of. We ended up ordering online (Costco) and basically judging from the picture and the total measurements about where we would be. It is annoying.

Is there a standardized nightstand size? Maybe you could ask in specific reference to *your* nightstand.

Additionally, you could also go to old-fasioned mattress stores, which display all the mattresses. You’d probably have a better idea when the mattresses are being displayed how they’d appear in your bedroom.

I think she’s asking about the bed frame. You do see that for mattresses, but to know the total height, you have to know the distance from the floor to the place where the bed rests, and that’s the missing piece.

Is this really old fashioned? It’s pretty common here – to look and to try (when we bought our current bed we each had a pillow to take round the store). I can’t imagine buying a bed without trying it first.

In the U.S., the furniture places that sell you nice bedframes often aren’t the same places that sell you mattresses. The bedframe from my mattress place is just a non-decorative metal support on wheels–no headboard or footboard. If you want a stylish wooden bed, you’re not going to get that from a mattress place.

We bought the bed without thinking about it, and it was ridiculously frustrating having my nightstand literally a foot lower than my pillow (it was a very low end table). I then spent over a year periodically checking out nightstands and small tables trying to fit the nightstand to the bed.

I will definitely think about this next time I buy a bed, and after my experience, I can’t believe more people don’t bother!

I’ve now done a bunch of sleuthing and looked up the nightstands that they have in the photos to see how tall those are, and am eyeballing it that way. So now I’m ready to buy one of two beds and am trying to decide between an upholstered one (very nice but slightly boring, and I know Eve will scratch it) and a wooden one (drawn to this one more, but it’s slightly wider, and I’m worried it will crowd the windows drapes that are either side of the bed). The drapes crowding is probably a deal-breaker, but I’m going to decide this after eating a bunch of potato chips and trying to write my now-overdue NYMag piece for next week.

I’ve bought a couple of beds off Amazon, and usually if they don’t list that info, someone has asked it as a question just before the Review section. Also, we bought a sofa from Macy’s last year and I remember they gave us a whole sheet with all of the dimensions of each configuration, so maybe they have that for beds too?

This is how I ended up with a bed that was almost 50 inches high, even with a low-profile box spring. The delivery guys were pretty funny about it. I ended up taking off the box spring and switched mattresses with the one on the other bed which was a few inches shorter. Checked the bed on the company’s website a couple weeks later and noticed that had been updated and it was being advertised (correctly) as a platform bed.

Yes! This is such an important measurement. I would like a lower bed and I have only found two companies that list the height of the bed slats as standard. One of them happens to be local which is good and the other one happens to also do custom heights/alterations. Yes both are about eight times the price of an Ikea bed frame (which I would be fine with but my other half would not). :-/

Weight limits for chairs are the same way! Some very dear family & friends are ~300 pounds, so when I buy chairs I’m always looking for something that would be safe and comfortable for all our guests. So many manufacturers don’t list weight limits! When they do, the standard limit is between 200 and 225, so I’m not willing to trust an unlabeled chair unless it feels and looks exceptionally stable.

I found some new amusing internet animal stories–on a major insurance company’s website! It is an Unbelievable Claims page with stories about animal related claims. All of them come with a picture of the animal in question wearing one of those pet-shaming signs like you see on social media, except the critter range from dogs to bees to moose!
There’s only a dozen–I want more!
(link in reply)

I live in an extremely expensive area of the USA. I really like living in this area and would like to stay. I currently rent a studio that suits my needs, and while I can afford it on my current paycheck, it’s far more than a third of my rent.

My parents (I’m 30) have offer to help me out to buy an apartment at a fixed budget far beyond what I could afford at present. The fixed budget would probably be approximately 1-2 beds and 1.5 baths in a neighborhood that I’d actually like to live in long-term, based on my recent real estate sleuthings. This would basically clear me out of my retirement funds and put them into this apartment instead.

On one hand, it seems like a no-brainer to own an apartment rather than a lot of flushing rent money down the toilet every month. On the other hand, I’m both concerned about the size if the place if I’m thinking about living there for 10 years, as well as the possibility of a real estate crash – which doesn’t seem far-fetched giving the insane cost of living in the area. And that doesn’t begin the count the possible costs of ownership, like anything wrong with the place, buying new appliances, etc – I assume I would be covering all these expenses, and I just don’t know if I’d be able too.

I feel crazy telling my parents I don’t want to buy given that they’re basically showing up with a pile of cash. What does anyone else think?

Paying rent does feel like just waving goodbye to your money, while buying does feel like you are building equity. But you are right about the risks in terms of costs for repairs, potential for change in housing prices, and of course if you move within a few years for more space then you lose out. As you have a good relationship with your parents, why not discuss that with them? It doesn’t sound like a decision you have to make immediately?

You aren’t throwing money away by renting — you are exchanging money for a climate controlled place to live and secure your belongings. You’re also trading it for the convenience of moving when you want with minimal cost (for me, I have to pay like two months rent for a break lease fee) and obliging someone else with the responsibilities for upkeep and maintenance.

Don’t forget with home ownership, for the first several years, a good chunk of your mortgage payment goes to interest, which doesn’t build equity.

TBH, I’d say if you genuinely don’t think you can afford the upkeep of the place, then don’t buy it.

Renting is fine. Think of it as an “I don’t have to worry about maintenance” fee if you don’t like missing out on equity. Did I mention I had a $12k bill out of the blue for my sewer pipe earlier this year?

I totally understand that a generous gift is hard to turn down, but I think you’re absolutely right that even with the gift this isn’t the right time for you to take on this kind of financial burden (and for you to wipe out your retirement savings!).

I used to feel this way. I live in a HCOL area, but I managed to snag a really affordable one bed apartment in a nice neighborhood. I’m spending about half my yearly salary on rent, but I’m still able to afford all my bills, chip away at medical and loan debt, and save a little each month.

I’ve always really wanted to buy, but at the rate the housing market is going and stagnant salaries, I know it’s a pipe dream. Even if my parents offered to help me out, I don’t think I would because I’d worry that I wouldn’t have the money to pay for unexpected expenses. My landlord just had to replace the stove in my apartment. I wouldn’t have the money to buy a nice new stove if I was also paying a higher mortgage rate + fees + all my usual expenses.

I think our generation has been told so often that houses are good investments and you’re only an adult when you have a house, but I do think that’s changing. For a variety of reasons. So I think you’re smart to decide to rent. It often feels like throwing money away, but you’re not stuck with financial difficulty if you need to repair something. And you can up and move whenever you want.

The reason why renting feels like you’re throwing your money away is that in general, owning a house has been a good investment over time. And there’s the whole American Dream thing. But, you’re talking about buying an apartment, not a house, and those aren’t the investment that a house is. Or maybe they are in big cities where many people own apartments. I’m mostly familiar with places where houses are the big thing and condos or apartments are harder to sell and don’t appreciate as easily as houses do. Then again, the maintenance and upkeep for an apartment would be less than for a house. Bottom line though, if you can’t afford it, you can’t afford it, even if your parents are giving you money. It’s very nice of them to offer, but you need to be able to eat and retire as well as pay your mortgage. I’d stay in that studio for as long as you can and only buy when you can match or decrease your housing costs.

My parents just suggested the same thing this morning (I live just off of Seattle, in a super rich and expensive area).

I created a spreadsheet once, even if I had to use a lot of assumptions for things like how much my mortgage would be, what I’d pay for HoA dues, etc…, and figured out I’d save about $4-5k/year (including the equity I built up) by owning a condo instead of renting assuming prices remain the same. If they rise, that’s obviously pure profit, and if they drop, I can stay long enough that it’s still worthwhile. I recommend doing the same. If you have a decent down payment and you’re sure you’ll want to live in the same area for a while, it might be worth it to buy instead of rent if it’s an option.

I don’t think you should not buy just because housing prices might drop at some unspecified future time. There have been crashes in the past, but for the most part, real-estate remains a pretty safe investment if you live in a nice area. Usually those housing prices are buoyed by local jobs (for us it’s Microsoft, in LA it’s tech, etc…), and remain high unless those jobs close down, which doesn’t seem likely.

So here’s my thing. I was diagnosed w type 2 diabetes at age 11, and my parents have had it for 20-30years now as well (they’re in they 60s). Growing up we had a very poor diet and I was very overweight. Lots of cake, rice, bread, fat, soda etc. this didn’t stop as I grew in to my teens and adulthood. I was in denial/just didn’t care enough.

I’m 32 now, and have been struggling to control it only in the last 2 years (I take full responsibility for my self destructive actions in my late teens & 20s).

Since my parents are feeling the effects of it in their age they’re constantly lecturing me now. What to eat and avoid. This is stuff I’ve heard over the last many years so nothing new.

I guess the issue is I bristle at these lectures. I just feel like they have no right to lecture because i was just a kid when I got it. I didn’t know any better and and after I was diagnosed they were more focused on keeping it a secret from ppl rather than doing much about it. I don’t ever remember taking medicine or going on a diet. Any effort to lose weight was so that I could get a husband. And this attitude (that they have no rihjt to comment) seeps in to other things as well (Career diet cooking etc).

In my experience, parents often feel guilty about the neglect or mis-advice they gave when you were younger, and wrongfully try to make up for it when you’re older. They also probably want to feel involved, caring, and important in your life.
So my advice here is:
Don’t bring up any “hot topics”: weight, food, diabetes, etc.
Develop one liners that are neutral, upbeat, but stop them dead in their tracks and don’t give them any “traction”. “Well, that might be true. Anyhoo, about that subject change.” “hmm. Well, anything’s possible!”
On the other hand, you could spike their guns so to speak by proactively asking for advice about something else that’s not a hot topic, like what new TV programs to watch, how to handle a friend dynamic, or pet advice, things like that.
You can also try really digging into the advice and asking for sources, or why are they telling you this, but that could get harsh and unpleasant quickly.

If they tell you things like “I’m telling you this because I love you! (or other concern trolling)” then the answer is “Well, you’re hurting me. It hurts me when you say x, y, and z. I really don’t want to have to keep telling you that you’re hurting me. What do we need to do to make this stop?”

Maybe you can address the source of their fear, which is that they “made” you “this way” by their neglect, cover ups, and lack of help. You can sit them down at a calm time and say “Parents, I love you. I want you to know that yes, mistakes were made when I was a kid and I had diabetes. But I’m older now, it’s 100% under control, and my doctor has no worries. I’ve moved on and I’m not mad or hurt. I really want to just enjoy the years we have together now. Can we do that?”

Ask them what exactly are they worried about? My mom says she’s only as happy as her least happy child. She’s also the type that struggles to imagine people who aren’t cookie cutter 1950’s America style as happy, so I have had to figure out a way to show that I’m thriving.

I made all my news good news. I asked her advice on topics we liked talking about and that she was a genuine expert in. I saved my venting sessions for other people.
I also dialed it back—I used to call her like three times a week complaining about being single back when I was and we would get in these endless loop fights. I learned to just stop going to her about that.

Parents are kind of…an endless source of annoyance, but I feel like it’s because they care, not to be mean.

I was in my late teens. I was really overweight in comparison to my peer group at that time. I had Issues with my mother that my father was not aware of. I decided that while life kind of sucked, my weight gain was indeed my own fault. I set on course to lose the weight. One day my father said to me, “Boy, you are fat. When are you going to lose some weight?” I was very proud to say, “I have lost 25 pounds.” Then I added, “How many pounds have you lost?” He was more overweight than I was.
He never, ever mentioned weight again for the rest of his life. Actually, I kind of admired him for committing to staying off the topic.

Sometimes turning the tables and talking about their setting ends the discussion.

I so hear you on this. What works for me most of the time is to not bring up the things where they tend to criticize me. If they bring it up, I just try to say thank y0u or ok and move to something different – I may be seething inside, but when I get hooked into a discussion with them, I end up feeling horrible and it is not going to change them. Also, I think when they focus their attention on my life and its failings, it’s because they are avoiding looking at their own life – for example, at times, they will focus on my singledom and I think yes, they are in fact extremely unhappy in their relationships (they are). Before I talk with them, I give myself a pep talk, reminding myself of all that.

Also, at least with my parents, when they start offering this sort of advice or concern, it’s like bait, and that’s how we connect – as you say, they are not telling you anything new, it’s tried and true – your role is to be the “bad kid”, they get to be the “concerned parents”. But as an adult, you can refuse to join in in this set-up, especially because of the emotional cost to you because it was set up by your parents to take care primarily of their needs. This paradigm really helped me understand the dynamic and helped me set better boundaries and take better care of myself in my dealings with them. It’s hard! These are really old relationship dynamics (in fact, our oldest ones) so be kind to yourself as you work on them.

I know how I would handle this and it is probably too rough for you, but I would say ‘Mom, you fed me junk food as a child, you didn’t watch out for my health then and now here I am coping with diabetes. I am doing my best to work with my doctor but I never want to hear another word from you about it. Not another word. Let’s talk about something else.’ And then never listen to another word. Walk away. Leave. Get off the phone, the moment the topic comes up. Don’t discuss it with them again just act to get yourself away from the lectures.

If you dn’t want to lash back at this outrageous behavior, then just move to the part about ‘working with my doctor’ and ‘never want to discuss this with you again’ and refuse to participate in such conversations. the day I figured this out about the topic my mother lectured me about endlessly was the day it stopped. I simply absented myself when she started in without making a fuss. It stopped for the most part.

I’m about to rip my face off. I am going to NYC in less than three weeks, and my face has just now decided to sprout a cluster of zits on the right side of my chin. I’ve named it Chester. I’m trying to evict Chester, but he’s grown red and angry. The sad part is, I work (I know, no work talk, but I have to mention it) in skincare at a major cosmetics retailer, so you’d think I’d know how to fix it, but I can’t.

So far, I’ve tried Peter Thomas Roth’s AHA/BHA pads, Sunday Riley’s sulfur mask, Dr. Jart’s Cicapair serum and night mask, and NeoGen’s green tea peel pads (not all at once, of course). And still, Chester persists. I’m frustrated because I had perfect skin while I was on the NuvaRing, but the second I got an IUD (Mirena), all of a sudden I got acne and milia on my cheeks and chin.

Whenever I feel a zit (or cluster) starting, I put a good bit of Queen Helene mint julep mask on the area — overnight, ideally. But also for any length of time you’re going to be somewhere you don’t care about having green stuff smeared on your face. I don’t know about anyone else — this stuff works wonders for me to get rid of zits…stops them in their tracks and if I catch them early enough they don’t develop.

Ugh, the mint julep is, for some reason, too harsh on my skin (either that or I’m allergic to something in it) because I got a terrible rash from that! It sucks because I know a million people who swear by that mask.

Skincare junkie here, but I’m no expert. Also, what is your skin type? I have oily combination skin. When I break out, I use a salicylic acid facewash and spot treatment. In general, using noncomodogenic moisturizers (SPF during the day and night cream at night) keeps the oil balance on my skin intact to prevent breakouts. I haven’t yet tried any face masks that specifically treat breakouts.

I’m oily oily OILY. Like, foundation slides off my face unless I use a heavy duty primer and Tarte’s Amazonian Clay Foundation (love it, it is full coverage but not heavy AND has SPF). I’m currently alternating between Kate Somerville’s EradiKate sulfur cleanser and First Aid Beauty’s gentle foaming facewash (every other day), following up with an AHA serum from First Aid Beauty (helping with my texture issues at least), and finishing with Herbivore’s Lapis Oil (spot treating zits) and whatever moisturizer I’m using this week (I have literally ten of them, all as part of my gratis from work). Lately I’ve been using the Fresh Super7 Complex because it’s lightweight but also moisturizing.

Once in a while I’ll use Herbivore’s Blue Tansy mask because it helps lighten acne scarring and also has salicylic in it, but I’ve been using it really rarely because I have the AHA daily serum and don’t want to destroy my face.

I hope this doesn’t sound too preachy, but you shouldn’t rely on your foundation for sun protection. SPF needs to be applied liberally, and most people just don’t put half a teaspoon of foundation onto their faces.

Have you tried reddit’s SkincareAddiction forums? They have really neat lists of good products for every skin type and give advice about your routine etc.

Well, this I realize RE: foundation. I also use a setting/refreshing spray throughout the day that has an SPF in it, which I spray on about every 3-4 hours. (Supergoop SPF 50 if you’re curious). But if my foundation can have an added layer, that’s even better.

By the way, apparently the amount of sunscreen you need for your whole body is a shot glass. Things I learn.

I swear by the Mario Badescue drying lotion
It’s a small jar and in spite of the separation of liquid and solid you don’t shake it. Dot it straight onto blackheads or zits and it speeds the healing process without damaging the rest of your skin. It’s pricy but it works!

It might make sense to consult your dermatologist or OBGYN. That sounds like hormonal acne to me, and maybe not something you can fix with products.. Not a skincare expert, but I do deal with hormonal acne. I pretty much break out hardcore, complete with a greasy face etc, the week prior to my period, and then it freakishly clears up the minute it starts.

Oh, how I very much wish I had health insurance because my butt would have been in my dermatologist’s chair long ago. I’m hoping that this is a stress breakout combined with some hormonal nonsense (this hasn’t been the easiest four months and I haven’t been sleeping much). I’m hoping to save up some money this fall to deal with this nonsense. I am too old for this!

Seconded! I was on Accutane while I was overseas and I panicked when my breakouts started to come back. I saw a comment in the now-defunct XOJane about Curology and I’ve been with them for three years and love it.
You take pictures of your current make up free face, answer a quiz, and they’ll make a personalized topical for you.
I’m also on Spironolactone, and I’m getting mixed messages if they still prescribe it, but it’s *magic*. It works my lowering or blocking androgen and testosterone in your body (which makes the excess sebum that becomes breakouts) so the *source* of breakouts is lessened. Topical treatments can only slough off skin faster and improve the texture, or dry out existing breakouts, while prescription medicines can go to the source.
Highly recommend.

something that usually really helps for me is a teabag – brew a strong cup (I use black tea) and when you take the teabag out ( it should be at least warm to your fingers but not painfully hot -> cool enough you can hold it easily) hold it to your spots for a few seconds (longer if it’s less hot, quite short if it’s quite hot. don’t burn yourself!). I usually do a couple of seconds with each side of the bag. It’s not magic (if only…), but it seems to help!

Dr Dennis Gross All-Over Blemish Solution really helps me, even with the horrible giant red bumps. I can put it on under makeup (foundation) with no problem. I also use the sulfur mask from the sane brand as a spot treatment but don’t know how it compares to the Sunday Riley sulfur mask. Oh, and some people have good results with Differin, which was a prescription but is now available over the counter (I got it from Ulta but think it’s at Walgreens and similar drugstores).

Surprisingly I haven’t tried Dennis Gross’s blemish solution, but if it helps with the red angry bumps, I’m going to have to sample it next time I’m at work, because that’s what I have. It’s just not okay! That Sunday Riley mask is good in a pinch – but DO NOT leave it on overnight even though it says you can. I got a HORRIFIC burn from doing that!

Oh, good, at least I’m not making this up in my head. The timing was just too close for it NOT to be. I love this birth control otherwise – yay no periods! – but this acne is making me hulk-smash angry!

My mum developed the most horrible, nasty, infectuous zit in her mouth-nose area more than ten days ago and it just wouldn’t heal, pop, or just visibly change in any way. She was completely beside herself. And do you know what she put on her face the day before yesterday evening in sheer desperation?

Curd.

Literally just plain white curd. It became super dry and crumbly right there on her face and the effect was instantaneous. It’s still red but you can see clearly that’s it’s basically done for. Maybe Chester would react similarly?

Okay, so it appears to me that this must be a bit of a German thing. It’s called “Quark” here and we have it everyhwere and make All The Stuff with it. I put a link to what it looks like in my name, maybe you can figure it out from there? “Curd” seemed to be the appropriate translation but now I’m not sure. Let’s feel stupid together! ;)

At least one of those google images is American and says “cottage cheese Swiss style” so maybe you can find something similar there. I was most surprised to see at least two British labels, one from one of the major supermarkets, both selling it as “quark” so I shall keep an eye out for it. Thanks, Myrin!

I second the Mario Badescue stuff. It is pricey, but it works, and you use so little each time that a bottle lasts for ages.

I don’t know if this is an option for you (I’m in Canada so my healthcare options are different) but whenever I get a Chester, I call my dermatologist and they give me a shot of cortisone. It works like a charm for me. I also get giant acne cysts for hormonal reasons (thank you Shark Week, at least one cyst like clockwork once a month), and if it’s really bad, off to the dermo I go!

The only thing that keeps me reasonable clear (at 28…) is:
Gently wash face (I use a cleansing oil to remove foundation and sunscreen etc. because it’s thorough, but mild)
chemical peeling every other night, like glycolic acid and salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide on the other nights – and nights ONLY
hydrate face – a dehydrated face will produce more oil, so get a nice prepping toner without alcohol and a gel moisturizer
put vitamin C serum (I use Melano CC Essence, a Japanese products which is great) on existing and dying pimpled to get rid of the redness
Oh, and if you do chemical peelings, you MUST wear sunscreen!

Mental health thread! How are you doing? What are you struggling with? What are you proud of?

I’m doing pretty well this week. If anything I’m trying to do too much. I am signed up for multiple volunteer projects and I need to cut back somewhere, I think. I’m about to go to a weekly women in tech event a bit early and learn to set up in case they need a substitute to host it.

I am having trouble with 1) attending meetups that have a lot of people and noise 2) finding the right level at which to express my opinions after being penalized for that at The Forbidden Topic 3) adjusting my schedule to have most of my human contact and mental effort take place in the evenings, at meetups.

1) and 2) are causing a lot of anxiety, to the point where I sometimes have trouble driving home after meetups, and 3 is making it hard to meet my goal of keeping fairly typical sleeping hours. I know it will be bad for my mental health if I stay up late and miss half the daylight because I slept through it.

I am doing well with exercise. Went to the gym 3 times this week and went for walks on most of the other days. It’s making me sleep a lot.

Also, being unemployed I am concerned with money. I am not confident I’ll get unemployment benefits and the department that handles then in my state is a freaking nightmare to deal with. I will get food stamps starting next week though so that’s good. I’m scared though. I know that the worst thing for my depression would be to get isolated, and it can be pretty hard to make myself get out of the house and around people without spending at least a little money.

Thursday night I got too drunk (which was ok) and I didn’t take my anti-anxiety medicine so the next morning I woke up hungover and INCREDIBLY anxious. Like, need a pep talk to get out of bed and ready for the day anxious. Like, one foot in front of the other anxious.

Overall, though, I coped really well! I was proud of myself. My pep talk included like, all the things I do for my anxiety that aren’t medicine and I really do have a lot of coping skills now.

I had all over body pain flare up this week and after going to my doctor it was decided that I should leave my job, which I did. Although the pain is physical and there’s a good chance that it’s fibromyalgia (it runs in the family) they have to make sure it’s not something else. So I got to spend time getting tests done, which was not great for my anxiety or depression, but at least the tests were able to be done in my local health center where my friend works so I had some comforting conversation to get me through.

I had a bit of a meltdown earlier this week, but after I made myself go to the doctor for my pain I also talked about my mental health issues and was put on a medication. So far it seems to have no adverse effects other than make me a bit tired. I was told that if ti keeps making me tired I should start taking it at night rather than in the morning but I should give it a week to get my body used to it.

I’m going to try looking for work locally so I won’t have to sit in a car for 2 hours a day. I talked with my doctor and she said to give it a shot, but I should take a couple of weeks to make sure that I’m stable with my medication. I’m trying not to get anxious about my unemployment, but it’s a difficult thing to try to avoid.

So I’m hoping this coming week goes well, or at least better than this week has been!

Well done on staying active. I hope you do get unemployment – it must be so stressful waiting to find out. Fingers crossed for you.

I am having a bit of a hard time right now. Family estrangement stuff, as ever. Bit of a depression relapse and my OCD has kind of flared up a bit too. And I’m doing this thing where I keep trying to watch the same episode of a TV show then realise I’ve taken in nothing.

I contacted the EAP last week to request face to face counselling (can get eight sessions of brief therapy per issue per year) and asked them to find someone near work rather than home (London versus… not-London). I could work from home around appointments but it’s not good for me when I’m not doing so well and I got very stressed trying to figure out a day that would suit me to do that every week.

After a false start where they accidentally matched me with someone in my hometown (which was just a mistake but a bit stressful in that way it can be when you’re not feeling so good and things are trickier than expected) they have found me someone who is about half an hour from my office and can see me right after work, which is perfect. So hopefully that will help some – it’s solution focused brief therapy so not getting too deep into anything. I just want to work on some immediate triggers and coping skills.

I’m doing alright :) Had a hypomanic episode for just about all of the week, but it wasn’t bad at all – I got a ton of calculus problems done and only spent about $100 I didn’t have, which is neat. Last time I had something like this happen, I spent $1k. Also, I have a psych appointment on Thursday, so hopefully that will have been the last of it’s kind for a long time!

I do think I have to give up caffeine, though. I don’t know how much they are correlated (if at all) but I had a big iced coffee right at the start of my hypomania (my first iced coffee in a long time, but I had a gift card), and such a thing is not unheard of… Does anyone know if Tim Hortons does decaf iced coffee?

I have been way too busy to feel anxious or depressed lately (or maybe it’s the upped thyroid dosis?), which is good, but now I need to find ways to be free of anxiety and depression without running myself down too much.

An active social life seems to help, but I’m a grad student, so I have to spend quite some time alone writing… And I hate being dependent on others so much, which causes me more anxiety.

I hope you get a new job soon, and unemployment in the meantime.
Meanwhile, last Thursday I arrive to my client’s office to find it covered in balloons. And I’m terrified of them since a massive balloon piñata exploded next to me back when I was a kid. My anxiety is off the charts and there is no way I can move away from them. I taking my stress ball with me tomorrow, to see if it helps.

After writing this I got really overwhelmed by socializing and being “on” at a Meetup. I managed to go grocery shopping and go for a walk but then I wasn’t able to do anything besides lie in bed for hours once I got home. I hate this.

I’m supposed to volunteer this afternoon at a dinner for homeless teens and I think I’ll take an Ativan before. I just have such a hard time being around people.

I hate things. I’ve started having laryngeal spasms – I’ll be talking away and it will feel as if I’ve forgotten how to breathe, air won’t move, my throat squeezes, then it passes. Very brief, very scary… and I’m an academic. I need to talk, fluently, clearly, in public, a lot, to do my job. Aargh! Much shuffling of work, emergency visit to dr who rules out obvious physical causes and diagnoses “stress”, and now I’ve had to back out of going on a field course with students – I’m sad about that, feel terrible about the extra work it puts on colleagues, and really frustrated with my stupid stress intolerant body that keeps finding new ways to mess me around. Also deeply hypochondriac & trying not to believe the GP took one look at my fat self and my long term prescriptions of Prozac and beta blockers and just knew the issue e was psychosomatic… :-( my cat is still doing well though, atleast…

So I’m going on a first date with a guy I’ve liked for like ever and ever. But while I am happy, I’m also…really really stressed out and anxious?? What’s wrong with me? Is this normal? Am I overthinking it???? Any help on how to be a normal human would be appreciated!

Normal to be nervous, especially if it’s someone you’ve liked for a long time.
I think one thing that helps me settle down once I’m in a situation I’ve been really nervous about is just not letting any kind of pretense take over — be completely yourself from the word go. When I do this, it’s as if I’ve eliminated a worry about ‘how should I be? how should I act?’
Good luck and let us know.

I think it’s perfectly normal, but maybe you’re amplifying your nervousness by focusing on it and trying to measure it against what you imagine a normal amount is. If you can, try and distract yourself with other things. If there’s something you enjoy about dating in general, try and think about that so you take pressure off yourself for finally getting to go out with The Person. Have fun!

Alison (and anyone else with experience) if it isn’t too much trouble, can I ask you about your cats, in relation to your having moved?

My first two cats are spayed females, 5 and 13 years old, and they generally stay out of each others’ way. Every now and then they will sleep near each other, but usually they do their own things. The third cat is 2, a neutered male. He is a lunatic and just will not stop hassling the girls. First the vet said it was that he needed some time after neutering for the testosterone to filter out of his system. Then, it was that he would calm down as he aged. Neither are true. Sometimes it seems like play behavior (swatting and running) and sometimes it seems outright vicious (jumping on them and rolling them to get at their bellies).

Mr. Lynn thinks the problem is that they all need more room to spread out. We have a two-story colonial, but the upstairs doors are shut, since the male is a cord-chewer and we’ve only cat-proofed the common areas of the house. I don’t think this is true, since the male seeks the other two out to be a jerk.

My question is, how have your cats’ interactions with each other changed as they’ve been moved into a larger home?

They’re still pretty much the same in that regard — I don’t think the move has made much difference. But they also all like each other; if they didn’t, I could imagine how having more space could help.

That said, two is still really young for a cat — he really may mellow out in a few years. I know that’s a long time to wait, but also what you’re describing sounds like play (even the jumping and rolling). What I would look at is whether your two girl cats seem to hate him. Do they try to avoid him? Leave the room when he comes in? Or is it more like ignoring him when they can? If it’s more like ignoring him and being annoyed at times, I wouldn’t worry about that too much; I think that’s a normal cat dynamic when one is much younger and more playful. But if they’re actively trying to stay away from him, that would worry me more.

But also, I would try cat-proofing the upstairs so you can leave the doors up there open, and see if it does help things when your two older cats have more places for solitude. That seems like a pretty easy experiment (especially if you just do one or two rooms to start).

Thank you! I really appreciate it. I will try cat-proofing additional rooms, one at a time, and giving them access.

I’m a long-time cat owner but this is my first male, so I may be seeing things through a skewed lens. He seems to display what I interpret as territorial behavior (like sitting in doorways and “policing” the movement of the other two) and the females do seem to shy away from him as they move around the house, but it’s hard to tell whether it’s out of fear and avoidance or just out of general curmudgeonliness.

It sounds like you have what the Way of Cats blog calls an Alpha cat, who wants a lot of stimulus and action, and your other two cats aren’t like that. Way of Cats blogger would advise you to get another kitten to entertain him, but that seems like a prescription a lot of people can’t really fill. Have you tried increasing his playtimes, self-amusing toys, and perch places to that he has more to be occupied with that aren’t the other cats?

I’ll post a link to a relevant post from the blog, but you might find it useful to read her stuff on Alphas in general.

fposte, to follow up after reading that site…it is so crazy to hear the blogger describe Alpha breeds as all being long and lean, like Siamese and Rex. My difficult male is a tiger tabby, but he has insanely disproportionate supermodel-long legs and a too-small head. He looks like a tiny cheetah. Just wanted to share that odd probably-not-a-coincidence! Thanks again!

Thank you! I will peruse the site, but four cats isn’t happening. Only our first cat was adopted intentionally–the second and third were injured strays we took in. Mr. Lynn gets attached before I can even call the danged rescue.

Four cats could still be a viable answer… I had a similar problem a couple years ago, when one of my four senior spays died and we got a young neuter. Our new boy was a sweetheart to humans and a jerk to the girls who were too old to want to play constantly. fposte recommended that blog post, we found a frisky male kitten at the shelter, and that helped enormously – the boys played together and wrestled, leaving my old girls alone. We were at our wits’ end – Feliway wasn’t helping, calming supplements were ineffective, but a playmate solved the problem.

Four cats is quite manageable if you’re already used to having 3. We, um, got carried away at the shelter and now have 8 cats in our 1500 sq ft home (they’re banned from one bedroom but have the rest of the house available). If you don’t have square footage to spare, create more kitty space by going upward with trees and other high spaces that include hiding spots. That might help with any territoriality issues.

Ah not us, but our friends — had two older kitties, one male who either annoyed the female or other way around so she was forever hiding under the bed or on top of the kitchen cabinets. Lots of drama usually between the two. This was when they lived in a two story condo, so not too tiny but apparently too small for the cats.

They moved to a two story house with basement on a spread of land and apparently its been night and day with the cats. No more hiding from that one kitty, who has now come out and interacts with the family. Male kitty has calmed down a lot. Everyone is happier.

I would suggest lots of playtime to help him expend energy. Da Bird and Cat Dancer are good toys. Even a piece of string for supervised play. Yeeoww makes fun catnip toys you can throw on the ground for him to chase around. He might also like a catnip kicker you.

If you’re interested in harness training, he might enjoy the outside stimulation.

Amazon has a large selection of cat trees if you want to expand the vertical space.

Since an additional younger cat isn’t an option, you need to play with him a lot to expend all that energy. Get him some toys that will keep him occupied on his own, maybe. Get some perches so the others can get away from him. You might want to also try Feliway plugins in the multi-cat formula. It can help with aggression.

We have a cat like that, too, and it’s annoying. He does the same things your does to certain cats (two of my girls), while he’s afraid of certain other ones (the kittens and my outdoor cat). He’s somewhere in the middle of the pecking order, but thinks he’s at the top and tries to act like it. Playing with him a lot seems to keep him from focusing all his attention on two of my girls.

When I brought home our two female littermate kittens, their favorite pastime was hassling their 9 year old brother. All his hissing and swatting had zero effect. Now, 7 years later, there’s relative calm. One of the girls has pretty much fallen in love with him, follows him around, tries to sleep next to him, and he tolerates her. The other girl has mellowed somewhat, but still will chase him, given any opportunity. She’ll stalk him, she’ll camp him if he goes into the bathroom, she sits on the bed staring at him when he’s in the bedroom window.

Hey can we talk about Hugh Hefner? He’s an icon, obviously, and hugely influential, but I’m having a hard time choking down my “ew, gross” reaction to the way it seems like he fetishized women even while he was advancing their careers. At the same time, I am fascinated by stories of his former girlfriends/wives, and life inside the famous mansion. Thoughts anyone?

I’m all for the sex industry as long as it’s 1. well-regulated, 2. taxed, and 3. safe and secure for those involved in it, but I something about Hefner just makes my skin feel tight. I’m sorry for his family but, at 91, those are some good innings.

Since you’re interested in former girlfriends and the like, you might be interested in an article Buzzfeed re-ran from Holly Madison, a former Playmate in the house, a few years ago. It’s a very, very interesting read and shines a different light on Hefner than is commonly shone.

I have mixed feelings. I appreciate what he did for reproductive rights, but it seems obvious that his actions were self-serving rather than altruistic. He talked a good game about feminism and respect, but he did it while distilling women into cookie-cutter parodies of femininity. It also seems unlikely that he was completely clueless about what Cosby was doing at his parties.

A friend of mine worked at the Mansion as a zookeeper for his exotic animal collection, and she said he took excellent care of the animals, for what it’s worth. She’s a professional zookeeper with specialties in big cats and birds of prey.

I think the coverage on Hef has been very one-sided: Civil rights hero vs. disgusting pervert. Like a lot of things in life, in this sitation as well people tend to ignore the complexities. Hugh Hefner was many things, and certainly a complicated human being. I think there is no denying that he was courageous, and his magazine was revolutionary for its time. However, he was also a businessman and a hedonist who knew what he enjoyed and did work to obtain that more than anything. Also he had an enormous amount of power in the creative direction of Playboy, and happened to have a “type” when it came to women.

A folk hero, he is not, but I saw an article that described him as a “sadistic pimp”, and I really don’t think he deserved that.

Yeah, all three. The 16 year old male and his 7 year old littermate sisters. Not only do we get a small multi-pet discount if they all come in at once, but they all come home smelling like they’ve been away, reducing the “You smell different!” chaos.

I’m giving up on Stitch Fix. (Click on my name if you want to see the clothing and read about my last shipment.) It’s mainly because my sizing is a little whacky. I’m not a solid Misses or Women’s, which means just about everything they send me is a little big here, a little small there, etc. I feel like I really need to stick to in-store shopping, although I may try ThredUp since I’ll get 40% off thanks to AAM. Possibly Trunk Club, too, since that seems to be much more personalized based on what I read on their site.

On another note, I got my MRI done for my lower back on Thursday. OMG I was in such pain when I got done! Laying on my back on a hard table for 25 minutes, unable to move, was really hard on my back. I had a cushion under my knees, which helped a bit. The tech had to help me up. I really wanted to cry, both because of the current pain and being so tired of being in pain all the time. I see the ortho on Wednesday, so hopefully I have some answers. I have my CD so I’ve Internet diagnosing myself. I’ve determined I have at least two discs that are herniated, bulging AND deteriorating. LOL Probably not the case, I’m sure. I’m comparing pictures on the Internet to my own pictures.

Sounds like we are similar in sizing, and I had the same problem with StichFix. I think I had 4 deliveries and ended up keeping 1 shirt and 1 necklace. I’d love to hear how Trunk Club goes if you try it. Sorry the MRI was so awful, and hope your appointment with the ortho goes well.

I’ve been trying thredUP, and 4 out of 5 items were too small. Maybe I’m just bigger than I think I am (a distinct and saddening possibility), but I would say lean larger when you’re picking stuff out.

I definitely recommend Trunk Club. If you live in a city where they have an in-person club location, you should definitely try it out. What I really liked is having a stylist give me options in-person. She could see my body type and pick out styles and colors that worked well, which is something that’s much easier in-person than online.

My stylist brought out a rack of clothes for me to try on so she could get a sense of what to send me in my trunk. Some of the items were super expensive, but she used them because that’s what they had in stock and it gave her a sense of what looked good on me. It was nice because I could tell her the clothes I normally wear, what I wanted, and what I didn’t like. There were a few times when I would try something on and she would immediately tell me that it didn’t work and why it didn’t work.

After my first in-person consult, I had a trunk sent and every single item was something I loved or that fit my style or body type. So I really think if you have the option to go in-person, it’s worth it.

I really, really loved the experience and have been going back every few months. Since it’s Nordstrom, some of the items can get pricey, but there’s a good range and the clothes are all quality (I found that Stitch Fix didn’t have great quality sometimes). Trunk Club also tailors most of the items free of charge if you buy from them, which is another plus.

I’m in CT, so if I don’t mind travelling I can go to NY or Boston. I like that you can chat online with them, too, which I think will help if I can’t go in person. I do have a Nordstrom nearby, so I could also take advantage of their stylist appointments if I don’t want to do Trunk Club.

One thing that Stitch Fix helped me with is giving me inspiration and showing me what matches, as I’m quite bad with matching colors and styles. Thanks to them, I now know that I can wear pastels or coral-colored patterns with a tan cardigan. :)

Good luck with the back! If it helps at all whatever I did to mine last year (and I had to skip my first MRI because I couldn’t lay flat without the feeling of burning wax running down my leg, so I know your pain!) the body is really resilient and I am at about 95% now. Its horrible and scary and really really painful but itll get better.

Feeling cozy and warm – yes. I’ve been keeping my electronic heating pad by my couch and just realized now that this *has* been helping me feel more content when just lounging around. Especially with the cool fall air. I’m struggling a bit with writing – do you have any habits/practices that help you get back into the groove? I’m gonna check out the book that nep mentioned below.

Ah, man, writing is such a subjective process, I’m not sure how to give much advice about it. But if it’s something you’re getting “back into a groove” with, I would definitely say don’t hold yourself to too high a standard with it. Give yourself permission to just enjoy it even if it turns out crappy. Let it go and write more.

+1
Anne Lamott says in the book: ‘For me and most other writers I know, writing is not rapturous. In fact, the only way I can get anything written at all is to write really, really shitty first drafts.
The first draft is the child’s draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later.’

Walking among trees gives me a great lift — any good exercise / stretching session, really. Practicing on my musical instruments. Reading — I’m always in a better overall mood when I’m into a good book.
Getting enough sleep and drinking enough water really help me avoid sliding into doom and gloom.
I’m fortunate in that I help take care of a relative’s toddler; being with her and hearing her laugh or use new words or go down a really high slide for the first time — priceless.
And — I’ve mentioned this book a few times — on a few occasions in my life when I’ve been really down, it helped a lot to re-read Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird: Instructions on Writing and Life. There’s just something about that book.
Peace to you.

Yes- I’ve been struggling with getting enough sleep and getting enough water – good suggestions. Also that book sounds like it would be a great fit for me. I’m trying to get back into writing – will look to see if the library has it. Any other book recommendations? I’m finding it easier to get into graphic novels and teen fiction at the moment, but a gripping adult fiction would probably also be okay.

Curling up with a good book and some hot chocolate, especially when it’s cold and rainy. Petting dogs. Just being around dogs.

Being somewhere where it’s completely silent except for the sound of nature. Eating a good meal and taking my time to enjoy every bite and flavor.

Recently, Begin Again has been one of those movies that fills me with happiness. I saw it in theatres when it came out a few years ago and was pleasantly surprised by it. It subverted the traditional tropes, and Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightly have a wonderful friendship in the movie. It’s in steady rotation as one of my comfort movies.

Anne of Green Gables, the 80s miniseries always, always makes me feel wonderful and I generally rewatch it when I need to feel happy and comforted.

Oh, I like these suggestions. Silence of nature is good. I wish I had access to a dog, I think that would help! May look at volunteering at the local shelter. I love “Begin Again” I forgot that I had even watched it – will add it to my queue. Thank you for these suggestions.

A clean/organized home.
A relaxing scent (recent addiction: Marshmallow Fireside from Bath & Body Works).
A mug of hot chocolate (mint or vanilla is the best).
Cuddling with my dog (especially because it’s rare as she still has so much puppy energy).
Going out to eat with friends/family.
Watching a much-anticipated movie or tv show with my hubby.
Reading a good book.
Having a tasty meal cooking in the crockpot.
Having family over for a game night.
Reading this weekend open thread! :D

As for music, I personally find EDM inspiring because it’s got a fast beat I find uplifting.

Thanks so much for sharing your list! It’s helpful to hear what works for other people to get my brain start noticing what I enjoy. I also like crock pot meals. Do you have any go-to favorites you could share?

I’m not Nicole, but I have a Crock-Pot tip. I assume you do beef roasts in yours (because that’s such a Crock-Pot standard)? That’s my main C-P meal, but years ago I started using dark beer (I like Murphy’s Irish Stout) instead of the usual red wine or water. The depth of flavor is amazing; it’s really so much better than wine/water. I definitely recommend it. I throw in a bunch of little carrots, sometimes some potato chunks, maybe a sprig or two of fresh rosemary and thyme if I’ve got them, and either sliced onion or a packet of dried onion soup mix.

Again, I know pot roast is a standard, but the dark beer isn’t, so I thought I’d throw it out there. :-)

Oddly enough, Disney’s Moana helps me a lot. And when I was in a bad place, I re-read Harry Potter (and started reading a HP fanfic named Living with Danger) and started reading Tamora Pierce. Bad things may happen to her female protagonists, but they always pull through and come out better in the end.

I’ve never seen Moana – will add this to the movie queue. I’m not a huge Harry Potter fan, but good idea regarding re-reading old favorites. I think I’ve been looking for new things and forgetting about good ol’ comfort series. Was a huge fan of Alcott as a kid, so will see if I still have any of those :)

You can get all of Alcott for free in ebook form as out of copyright (I think I got mine from Project Gutenberg.) I love lots of her book but I recommend An Old-Fashioned Girl if you haven’t read it in a while – it’s the one I revisit the most.

I’ve got all of my Tamora Pierce books in my room for just this – sometimes I just need a badass female heroine to remind me that I can do things. I started reading in middle school and Kel cam with me to college and now into adulthood.

When I was dealing with some heavy grief I really enjoyed Chicken Soup books. To me it was candy for my brain.

I’d like to suggest that instead of looking for joy, look for contentment. For one reason that it’s easier to find and for another reason that it lasts a little longer.

I could really get into laying in bed at night and pulling the covers up. I felt a cozy feeling like “it will be okay in a bit.” I felt content on Fridays knowing that the work week was over. Sometimes I could lose my heavy heart in the company of friends especially if we were laughing and telling stories. Sometimes I could feel content when my favorite people showed up for work, it was comforting to have familiar people around.

You can start this by thinking about things that give you a feeling of consistency, a feeling like the world is still revolving. When framed this way, you can kind of see why even doing the dishes helped me in a small way.

This really speaks to me – thank you for sharing. I like the shift from joy to contentment, it has less urgency and seems more possible to recognize right now. Your examples are spot on too – particularly just the comfort in having familiar work people around. I will definitely think about this and start to recognize those small things. A tidy house is certainly one of mine too. Many thanks.

Singing, especially with others (in a choir or a singalong type situation)
Snuggling in bed in really comfortable sheets
Reading outside in the sun when the weather’s nice
Watching videos of paint-mixing (@annettelabedzki on instagram) or candy-making (Lofty Pursuits on YouTube)
Watching British panel shows or quiz shows (especially Only Connect)
Watching cooking shows that are more educational/fun than competitive, like Good Eats or The Great British Bake-Off

Recently broke up with a fellow after a 7 1/2 year relationship…met on a blind date. I miss the close contact, too, but am lucky to have good friends who are great huggers, so that helps somewhat.

I tend to be a homebody, so have to push myself to get out and do stuff….and never regret it. I attend a singles dance monthly (a few couples who met there married), hike, shoot pool (either on my own or with my adult kids), travel, and such. I would love to go skeet shooting, but figure it might aggravate an old shoulder injury. Volunteer, go to farmer’s markets, festivals, etc. Tried the online dating thing, but just not me. Nice chatting with people online, but never turned into even one actual date, so rather depressing after the expense.

Movie that fill me with hope are of the underdog variety….Mr. Holland’s Opus and Cool Runnings are among my favorites. Music would be from a time in my life that was carefree and fun…so Billy Joel’s Innocent Man cd and the Brandenburg concertos by Bach (listened to both a lot back then).

Activities that make me happy include travel (road trips, anyone?), dancing (or should I say stepping on feet?), hanging out with friends, bicycling, crafting…even tossing a nice card in the mail to a friend or relative just to say “Hello, I’ve been thinking of you” perks me up, and makes my day better.

When I am feeling sad I go to one of two extremes. I either watch a very sad movie that will make me just sob my eyes out or something ridiculously silly.
I like to watch the Les Miserables remake with Hugh Jackman when I want to cry and the old seasons of The Muppet Show when I want to laugh.
I also go for long walks somewhere flat and safe, like the local park, so that I can cry or rant or run without tripping over anything.

Eve in a cat ball!
She’s entirely too cute.
How do your cats like it? Do all your cats use it? Is it big enough for Sam?
I’ve been eyeballing them and wondering if the cats like them as much as they appeal to me, how big a cat fits into their standard size.